Silver Savior
by KitsueMage
Summary: Kiriyu Zero is a very intelligent doctor. But he has a secret. A secret which a certain pureblood is almost dying to find out. KanameXZero. A.U. Contains OCs, but do not afflict with the pairing. Rating moved up for future chapters.
1. Black Diamond

Disclaimer: I do not own VK, but I wish I did.

Author's Note: I decided to write a medical fic; after four seasons of watching House M.D. Results:

Very AU. Contains OCs but does not afflict with the plot or with the pairing. _**This fic has nothing to do with either of my previous works!**_ The pairing is KanameXZero as usual. (I usually do not write this much in a week!)

* * *

"And that's our last patient of the day."

Kiriyu Zero sighed in relief. His assistant, Mokaiyama Soshiki, gave him a light reassuring pat on his back. Soshiki was a pureblood, while Zero was an ex-human. It caused some discrepancy with the Vampire Council, but Soshiki calmly told them that Zero was a better leader than he was. And he was. Zero, despite his low status in the Vampire community, was a very intelligent person. He led the hospital in a very orderly manner. Everyone who had a problem came to him, including other hospitals. He could diagnose a patient in less than a day. Because of this, the death rate of the hospital he worked at, the _Kiriyu Clinic_, was extremely low. The _Kiriyu Clinic_ also happened to be the number one hospital in the community so the Council couldn't try to frame Zero without seeming to look hypocritical.

Zero shot a half 'I'm okay' smile at his assistant. He never thought that he would become a _doctor_ out of all things. Raised a hunter, taught by a hunter and lived like a hunter; he was sure he would be a hunter. But then Hiou Shizuka came and screwed up his life for him. Well, at least he had a lesser reason to become a doctor than Soshiki. Zero's eyes softened at Soshiki. He pitied the boy. Soshiki had long dark blue hair that he usually tied back with a black ribbon, with bright yellow eyes. He became a doctor because of his little brother Minrou. Minrou was born with a very weak lung. He would often go into a coughing fit, sometimes hacking up blood. He had to get blood transfusions almost every week, which was usually provided by Soshiki. Minrou was currently on the waiting list to get a left lung transplant. Only problem was, a pureblood's body was so powerful, that a normal lung wouldn't suffice. Instead they had to find another pureblood or a very high level noble vampire to donate their left lung.

Soshiki smiled in return. He knew what Zero was thinking and he was thankful for the older doctor's support. It was rumored that Zero had become a doctor at the young age of 16. He was also the longest one able to withstand his vampire instincts. Rumor had it, that during the last test to become a doctor, (Which consisted of standing in front of a bowl of blood, trying to hold back your inner vampire's cravings for a certain number of hours; also the test that most failed at) the examiner had to leave to feed himself four times before Zero gave in. When he asked Zero about it, the ex-hunter replied, "I don't like being a vampire." He didn't really know what to make of that.

Another rumor was that Zero was working multiple jobs. But Soshiki knew that it wasn't a rumor. It was a fact. Zero was also a singer for a secret band called "Black Diamonds" which was popular in the human world and the vampire world. Vampires, however, could tell by the voice that the singer was a vampire. But people didn't know the singer's name so they called him Dia or Black. The productions of the songs were always fixed around his working hours in the hospital and Soshiki was forced to sometimes cover for him.

Zero also happened to be a favorite with most people. His sharp mind, witty sarcastic remarks sometimes got him into trouble with higher level vampires, (In which Soshiki had to drag him out of) but once they were reminded, quite rudely, that their lives were in the palm of his hand (by Zero), they usually relented, allowing the ex-hunter his remarks. But many people loved him for it. He was a laugh at parties, meetings, and could turn the most boring thing in the world into something fascinating. Several people, including a pureblood, had tried proposing to him. Zero, however, politely turned them down stating, in a very humorous voice, how an ex-human would look on a family tree.

"Let's go," Zero said standing up. His legs were quite sore and his white doctor's uniform was slightly crinkled from all the rushing he had to do in the course of the day. Nevertheless, they had to go visit their last patient, "Minrou won't be happy if we're late."

Soshiki smiled, his eyes twinkling. This was, personally, his favorite part of the day, "Of course."

Both of them walked slowly through the white halls. They stopped at a plain white door with a metal sign with '143' and a paper label of Mokaiyama Minrou. Soshiki knocked twice before entering, knowing that Zero would just have barged in. If Zero did, Minrou would most likely freak out. And freaking out a pureblood was _never_ a good thing. Even a sick pureblood could take down a noble forcefully if they wanted to. There were times when Zero had to dodge sharply to avoid the random bursts of power from higher level vampires because he just appeared suddenly.

"Hi Minrou," Soshiki said, with deep affection in his eyes, "How are you today."

Minrou, a boy with short dark bluish black hair and gold eyes, was sitting in a chair reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night Dream. He coughed once and said, "Not so good today, I feel kind of dizzy and still feel weak."

"If you want to read, do it on the bed, not in a chair," Soshiki scolded softly. He could never really get angry at his little brother, just how he could never really get angry at Zero. Soshiki saw Zero has a protective older brother, and Zero saw them as younger siblings.

Minrou nodded and shakily made his way over to the bed, with the help of Soshiki. Zero took the book out of Minrou's hands and placed a sheet of paper inside it, as a bookmark, "Read it when you're not dizzy, you're frying your neurons."

"Okay. Pass me my I-Pod will you?" Minrou asked softly, gesturing to the small device on the table, next to his chair. Soshiki stood up, walked over to the table and picked it up. He handed the headphones to the younger pureblood and asked, "What song?"

"Radiance by Black Diamond," Minrou said, smiling at Zero.

"Oh boy," Zero said, "You're still listening to that song? I made it ages ago."

"It's a good song and you have a nice voice," Minrou replied. He hummed the tune as the music flowed smoothly to his brain. _Ahhhh, it really was a nice song. _(Made by me)

* * *

**Radiance**

_A deep affection was shown,_

_Through your eyes,_

_And as you look at me,_

_I could see your radiance._

_Hearing your voice,_

_I suddenly knew,_

_That your radiance,_

_Was caused by me._

_A light that shined,_

_Deep in your soul,_

_Became brighter,_

_And started to sparkle._

_In the dark night,_

_Your light shines,_

_Like a star or a flame,_

_Brightly and warm._

_Under the starry sky,_

_I saw that your radiance,_

_Became brighter,_

_And started to sparkle._

_You've lost your way once,_

_But you didn't give up._

_That is why your radiance,_

_Shines like it does now._

_A deep affection was shown,_

_Through your eyes,_

_And as you look at me,_

_I could see your radiance._

* * *

"I can't believe you actually have a nice voice," Minrou said, "You used to be so serious." He put on a sullen face to emphasize his point.

"That was before I found the meaning of life."

"Oh? Then what's the meaning of life?"

"Forty-two."

"What?" Minrou asked, half laughing, "Forty-two?! I don't get it."

"Neither do I," Zero shrugged, "But, hey, who gives?"

Soshiki burst out laughing. It was followed by Minrou's laugh and then Zero's chuckle. These moments were precious, too precious not to share.

--

The next day Zero was in a bad mood. Well it all started with the man he had to go see for his daily check-up on patients. Koshima Ray, age: 23, hair color: black, eye color: black, race: noble-class vampire, diagnosed with liver cancer. Also waiting for a transplant. Oh and did he mention he was openly gay and flirted with Zero every chance he got? Ever since he first saw him about three years ago…

Zero blew him off, as usual, but then things got a little out of hand. Ray's hand _somehow_ found themselves in inappropriate places, and the usual glare had no affect. So Zero pulled out his defense gun, _Bloody Rose_, and was going to shoot the damned bastard, when a nurse came in, shrieking her head off about a man collapsing when he was giving a speech. Apparently the man was carted in and identified as the next Vampire King, Kuran Kaname, so there was a mob of vampires outside the hospital doors worried as hell about him. Adding the screams of some of them, and Zero was sure his head would explode.

When Zero had gone to go visit Kaname, he had to get _permission_, by Kaname himself, to take a sample of _blood_. Unfortunately the man in question was _unconscious_, thus making it very difficult to ask. So instead, he told Soshiki to clear out the stupid mob outside, while he did a physical body check. It involved Zero, removing all of the pureblood's clothes and poking and prodding different places to see if anything was wrong or out of place. Generally it worked better if the patient was awake because then they could tell you if they hurt or not, but it wasn't an option.

Three minutes after he started, Kaname woke up, with Zero's hand on his chest. Needless to say, he flipped, making several things in the room implode and the walls crack severely. After he calmed down slightly he apologized (In which Zero was very irritated about his favorite tea mug getting smashed) and promised to pay for damages later. He was very nice about the whole blood issue, but was very _into_ the physical examination. Well, _so_ into it, that it made the ex-human slightly nervous.

This brought us to our current situation, in which Zero was removing a little bit of blood from the pureblood. Kaname smiled at the gentle touches of the ex-human. He always thought that hospitals were creepy. _How can someone live in so much white?!_ But the boy in front of him, _Kiriyu_ _Zero_ by the name on his nametag, was very… reassuring. Kaname could tell, by the way Zero held himself stiffly, that Zero was irritated about something other than his mug.

Kaname had heard about the boy from many others. Rude and sarcastic, the boy had no respect for anyone. He treated everyone equal. But that was part of his charm. His remarks were, apparently, not to offend, but to humor. Kaname wanted to see if the rumors were true.

"Am I just _so_ sexy that you have to stare like that?" Zero said suddenly, without looking up. Zero could practically feel the stare and it was making him uncomfortable. "Cause if you keep staring, my head might implode like my cup."

"I said I was sorry," Kaname said defensively. _Hmmmm, how would he react to…?_ "And, yes, you are just _that_ sexy."

Zero stiffened. _Was he being sarcastic?_ "Uhhhh, thank you?" He felt strange. People usually didn't complement him like this.

"Your welcome."

There was an awkward pause.

"Okay I think I'm pretty much done here. Stay here; I need to do tests on this," Zero said standing up and pointing to the small sample of blood.

"But I feel completely fine," Kaname said, frowning. He was hoping to get back to work as soon as possible; after all, he was the next Vampire King, "Can't I go?"

"No," Zero said flatly, "'Fine' people do not collapse in the middle of the street. But if it makes you feel better, I can get your speech video and replay the scene where you collapsed over and over again until it sinks into your thick skull."

Kaname winced. _Okay… that was uncalled for_. "At least can I work on managing things online?"

Zero tapped his chin, pretending to think it over, "Now where have I heard that before?"

Kaname twitched, "Uhhhh…"

"Oh right, I think it was Koshima Ray, right before he tried to hit on me," Zero said, "Sorry, computers tend to have a negative affect on your sight and we can't afford to screw up your system. Not until we know what was wrong of course."

"So what am I supposed to do here for entertainment?" Kaname snapped. He immediately regretted that, as Zero flinched and said just as snappishly, "I don't know! Go read a book, play solitaire or something! You can even go memorizing all the past patients we have or had in and out of our hospital for all I care! What?! Do you think I have enough time to entertain all my patients all day?! Geeze!" With that he walked out of the door in a huff and slammed it shut.

_Damn._ Kaname didn't mean to make him mad. Zero is probably already stressed out by the amount of work in a hospital and that comment was like fuel to the fire. Ah well, he'd just apologize later, when he saw him.

--

"He's having a seizure, get the defibrillator!"

"Okay. One, two, three…" Zero said, pressing the charged pads to the vampire's chest. The man jerked and began panting harshly. The man's wife gave a sigh of relief as the monitor showed his pulse was back. "Okay…" Zero said thoughtfully.

"This looks like left ventricle failure leading up to paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea," Zero said frowning, "Sit him up."

"But he just got-"

"Sit him up," Zero repeated to the surgeon.

The surgeon rolled his eyes and sat the vampire up. The vampire on the bed sighed in relief.

"Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea?" The man's wife said slowly.

"Yeah. When the backward flow of blood doesn't go backward, neither does the fluids. Usually when the patient is sitting up, the fluid collects in the legs, but when he goes to sleep, the fluids go 'whoosh' into the lungs, making start coughing like mad. From what you told me, every time he sat up, he was okay, right?" A nod confirmed him. Zero frowned and turned to the surgeon, "Start him on a dose of neurotrophin-3. It hasn't been proven that this works, but, hey, a vampire's body structure is similar, but different than humans. You should feel lucky that your vampiric blood is preventing a swelling in your heart." Zero said reassuringly to the noble vampire on the bed. The noble smiled in response. "The last thing you need is more problems."

"On the charts, it seems he's had several problems in the heart before," Zero said directing the statement to the noble's wife.

"Yes, the last doctor we went to said that he should think about getting a transplant," The lady said, "But they didn't have any spare hearts that matched in stock."

"Ah, I see," Zero said, carefully, "Let me check the records. I think we had a donor yesterday. Also a noble." He paused, looking at the lady's beaming face, "Don't get your hopes up."

"Okay!" The girl said, suddenly much happier.

"Uhhhh huh…" Zero said, slightly freaked out, "Soshiki, do you have yesterday's records?"

"I put them in your office, fourth shelf," Soshiki said, placing more pillows behind the patient.

"Right… I'll be right back," He said quickly, bolting from the lady giving him a creepy smile. The noble on the bed laughed softly as he saw the nervous look implanted on Zero's face.

When Zero got to his office, he was met with a very strange sight. Kuran Kaname was sitting in his seat, flipping through all the records he had.

"…WTF?!"

Kaname looked up, brightening. Zero was so busy, that Kaname hadn't seen him ever since the first time he stormed out of Kaname's room; which only drove the stake of guilt even deeper, knowing that he upset the boy, when Zero was already quite distressed.

"Okay, I said you could look at my files, but put everything back to where it was," Zero said stiffly. He walked over to the fourth shelf and scanned for donors. Kaname seemed to be doing better these couple days, so Zero had heard from Soshiki. Indeed, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the pureblood. Soshiki had reluctantly handed him back his laptop, after Kaname pointed it out. Zero had begun to suspect he just fainted, due to the lack of sleep from all the Vampire Council work and the fact he was outside in the heat. (Which most vampires couldn't take for more than three hours, due to the ultraviolet rays.) All the blood tests came out as negative.

Zero pulled out a file full of heart donors yesterday; as he felt two arms encircle his waist. Well, a sharp jab in the ribs solved that problem. Kaname almost doubled over in pain, the ex-human was _strong_.

"Stop hitting on me you people; quite frankly, it's disturbing," Zero said glaring at Kaname. Zero had made the point to avoid the pureblood as much as possible, ever since that day. He'd even left the hospital to put some effort in his band, Black Diamond, when he found out that the pureblood was looking through the entire hospital for him. Soshiki informed him of this when he was in his office, eating lunch, resulting in Zero running out of the hospital like it was on fire.

"Not very nice, are you?" Kaname asked, rubbing his bruised ribs. The bruise would go away soon enough; he just wished it would hurry up.

"Not to those who hit on me," Zero said, turning around and looking at the pureblood for the first time in days. "What do you want?"

"To… Apologize," Kaname said quietly, "I was acting like a jerk, when I was able to tell you were stressed. I'm sorry."

"What? That?" Zero said absentmindedly looking back at the record, "Forget it."

Kaname inwardly flinched. He'd already apologized, what else did the ex-human want from him?

Zero must've sensed Kaname's turmoil because his head snapped up from the paper. "Look, I'm not saying I don't appreciate that you came here and apologized, it's just that, that day, I was in a really bad mood. One of my earlier patients tried to hit on me and then with all the chaos and you being carted in; I had a headache. And when you made that comment, I just snapped. It's not completely your fault, nor is it mine, so forget it."

Kaname gave a half smile. _When he found this other guy who tried to hit on his Zero… wait… his?_ He changed the subject. "Do you like them?"

"What?" Zero said, looking back to the papers and pulling out a sheet of paper from the stack. _Here's that form._ Zero looked up and half froze.

Kaname was pointing to a CD; the Black Diamond's CD that Zero always had on his desk. "Uhhhh… Yea, I'm a fan of his works," Zero said slightly nervous. Not exactly the truth but…

"So am I," Kaname said picking the CD up. It was the third CD that Zero had made, Blue Moon. "My favorite song is _Gold Star_. Dia is a very good singer."

"Uhhhh…" Zero honestly didn't know how to reply to that. _Gold Star_ was one of his earlier works, the second song in the first CD.

"But its odd isn't it?" Kaname said looking up from the CD case that had a deep blue moon with little black diamonds surrounding it, "Dia is very famous singer, but never attends any parties. No one knows his real identity and he leaves no trace of himself. The only way to talk to him is online over AIM. It seems as if Dia just became famous overnight, through his CDs. He never preformed on stage and never replies to even the Council who is looking for him."

"… So?" Zero asked raising an eyebrow.

"I want to meet him," Kaname said looking back at the CD. "He must be very lonely to hide himself like this."

… _Is this guy crazy? Why is he telling me this? Is he implying something?_ "Okay…" Zero said cautiously, "So, you're telling me this because…?"

"You know who he is, don't you?" Kaname said suddenly, "I can tell by the way your acting."

"Does it matter? Even if I do know, I'm not going to spill all his secrets to you."

"At least tell me his name," Kaname said.

"No. He kept his identity a secret for a reason, which I won't bother telling," Zero said putting the folder back on the shelf.

"Tell me," Kaname's eyes narrowed as he pinned the ex-human to the wall, holding his throat.

"Are you threatening me, Kuran Kaname?" Zero asked. Kaname was squeezing his windpipe, but not enough so that he couldn't talk, "I wonder how the entire Vampire community would react if they found out that the great Kuran-sama murdered their best doctor for no reason."

Kaname growled, gave Zero's windpipe a final squeeze and let go. Zero fell to the floor, coughing and spluttering. Rubbing his neck, he glared at Kaname. Kaname felt a thread of guilt weave itself through his body. _Damn_. Why is it that Kaname always felt so _guilty_ every time Zero was involved? He'd blackmailed people before, so why did it hurt him to do it now?

"If you want to talk to him so much, just AIM him like everyone else!" Zero snapped, "Maybe it's time you'd ask him yourself instead of telling other people to betray Dia. You might stoop that low, but I _will not_! Stop acting like a four-year old who hasn't gotten their daily dose of sugar! I think it's about time you step off your high plate and join the club, like everyone else!"

Zero stood up and stormed out of his office, his lilac eyes burning with deep hatred. _Damn it._ He'd had his life threatened before and remained calm. So why did it hurt _so damned much_ when Kuran got angry at him?! It happened twice and both times he'd lost his temper.

Kaname felt pretty low now. Dia had obviously asked Zero to keep his identity a secret because he trusted him enough to withhold that information. Kaname had just asked Zero to betray that trust. _Shit! And I just finished apologizing from before!_ Kaname groaned and buried his face into his hands. _Shit, shit, __**shit**__!_ _Okay, Zero said to AIM him, like everyone else. _

_Like everyone else…_

_Oh!_ So that's what Zero was trying to tell him. _Ahhhhh… Fuck!_ Kaname buried his face into his hands a little deeper. He wanted Kaname to stop acting like he was king of the world; wanted to tell him that even though the vampire community was based on purity of blood, Zero based people on how they acted. And he just acted like a total idiot. Dia would judge him by the way he acted too, since he would not be able to see him in person but meet him online.

_Okay… So I'll meet him online. Just AIM him. His AIM is…_ Kaname unburied his face and looked at the back of the CD; Black Diamond. Go figure.

Kaname placed everything back where it was, and left the office. Zero's office looked as if there hadn't been anyone there. Kaname returned to his hospital room and turned on his laptop. He signed on AIM, immediately getting bombarded with several companies asking for his support. He clicked out of the windows and typed in 'Black Diamond' to see what he would get.

Kaname raised his eyebrows. There were thousands, no, tens of thousands of 'Black Diamond's ranging from 'BlackDiamond0001' to 'BlackDiamond'sawesomefan'. Kaname scrolled down to see if he could find just plain 'Black Diamond'. Eventually, he found it.

He clicked on the name and typed a message:

_KuranKing: Black Diamond, you on?_

Kaname waited for a response. Instead he got a message saying: _Black Diamond is currently offline._

The soon to be Vampire King sighed. _Okay he's not on now. I'll just wait until he is on._

--

That night Kaname was updating his company. He still wasn't allowed to leave the hospital because Zero insisted that he should stay a week to see if any of the symptoms returned. Kaname wasn't happy about it, but reluctantly agreed.

Kaname leaned backwards on the pillows. The hospital had closed just an hour ago, and Kaname was tired of switching his sleeping routine to match a human's. But in this hospital, both humans and vampires resided so all vampires had to change the way they slept while visiting or as a patient. This was done so that humans do not wake up in the middle of the night while some vampire was playing some musical instrument and question the person's sanity.

It was about time for him to sleep. Kaname yawned behind his hand. He had been up for a full twelve hours now.

A notice appeared on his computer. All thought of sleep was swept away as Kaname read it, a smile appearing slowly on his face:

_Black Diamond has signed on._

* * *

Author's note: So how was it? Read and review as usual. Again, I will not update this often!


	2. A NotSoFriendly Conversation

_**A Not-So-Friendly Conversation**_

Yay! A new update. I wrote most of this on my day off from school.

**Thank you for all my lovely reviewers! I got so much so quickly!**

Disclaimer: I own no part of VK. But Soshiki, Minrou and the stupid leech Ray are mine.

_**Author's Note**_: No Yuuki in this fic either. But there will be the other vampires such as Aidou and Takuma. Riido is not part of the Kuran family; he is part of the Shiki one. He is noble class in this fic. (Cause I don't really want to make him a pureblood.)

* * *

_KuranKing: Good evening, Black Diamond._

--

Zero had just barely signed on when the AIM appeared. He blinked, clicking out all of the other boxes that littered his screen including one that said, "BLACK DIAMOND, I LOVE YOUR WORKS!!" Idiots did not interest him but… He blinked again, surprised. _That was fast._ Well, he had to pretend that he didn't know Kuran Kaname so…

--

_Black Diamond: Who the bloody hell are you? One of my fans?!_

--

Kaname chuckled. _'This guy was pretty amusing,'_ he thought as he typed out a response.

--

_KuranKing: My name is Kuran Kaname. May I ask for yours?_

--

Zero sighed. _Nice try, but…_

--

_Black Diamond: No you may not. And what does the great Kuran-sama want with a singer like me anyway?_

_KuranKing: Well, I simply adore your works. I was wondering if I could hire you._

--

Zero blinked, again, surprised. _Not the first time someone has asked me that._

--

_Black Diamond: Sorry, I don't take personal requests._

_KuranKing: I heard about you from Kiriyu Zero today._

_Black Diamond: …Oh. And?_

_KuranKing: He wouldn't tell me your name, despite being at the point of death._

--

"What?" Zero said, frowning. Kuran was over exaggerating things. At no point in their conversation did Kaname try to rip off his head. But just to play along…

--

_Black Diamond: If I find out that Zero is in some remote hospital because of you, you __**will**__ suffer very painfully. And adding to that, I don't have to meet you personally to kill you; I can just hire someone to._

--

Kaname laughed. What a bold vampire; saying that to the Vampire King. But Kaname did just threaten Dia's best friend.

--

_KuranKing: Relax, he completely unharmed._

_Black Diamond: He better be, for your sake._

_KuranKing: May I call you Dia, since you won't tell me your real name?_

_Black Diamond: Everyone else does._

_KuranKing: So… I wanted to know, what is your next song?_

--

Zero frowned. Kuran gave up? Already? Well…

--

_Black Diamond: Not telling._

_KuranKing: A surprise?_

_Black Diamond: Was finding my name out the only reason you AIMed me, Kuran-sama?_

_KuranKing: Hmmm…_

--

Truthfully, Kaname wanted to know the relationship that Zero and Dia had. But he wanted to think of a less direct way of putting it. The pureblood racked his brain for different ways but stopped as a notice came up.

--

_Black Diamond: If that's all then I'm leaving…_

_KuranKing: What is your relationship with Zero? Why do you keep your name a secret? And who are you really?_

_Black Diamond: …Does it matter?_

--

Kaname blinked. Both Kiriyu and Dia thought the same way it seems. He still remembered the response that Zero gave him a couple hours before when he inquired who Black Diamond was.

_Does it matter?_

--

_KuranKing: Yes it matters. I want to know._

_Black Diamond: Well, I don't feel like telling you. Too bad._

--

Kaname gritted his teeth in anger. _How __**dare**__ he?!_ Well it would do him no good to get angry now, he couldn't even see him. Which was good for a certain vampire, but bad for him.

--

_KuranKing: You must not value your life or Kiriyu's to threaten me like that. I can easily make Zero tell me who you are. After all, purebloods have a great amount of power over ex-humans._

_­_--

Kaname laughed softly. _'Ha! That'll teach him,'_ Kaname thought. But was then surprised by the response sent over a minute later.

--

_Black Diamond: My life holds no meaning to it. And Zero's life is my number one priority. You kill him, I kill you. If you ever meet me, you'd know why._

--

'_Okay…not exactly the truth, cause if you kill me, I'll be dead,_' Zero thought, '_but it'll get his mind to think about something._'

--

_KuranKing:_ _Forgive me. It was not my intention for it to sound like a threat._

_Black Diamond: Maybe you should think before you type, then._

--

Kaname frowned. What did he mean? _If you ever meet me, you'd know why._ Ah! He was going to get a headache later. Was Dia once a patient of Zero's? Or is he a brother? Cousin? Just who _was_ Dia? Could they be… lovers? A spike of unknown anger shot through the pureblood's being.

But either way, it sounded as if Zero made up Dia's whole universe. The sun of the planet. And Kaname envied that.

But he was getting off track. Kaname had AIMed Dia to find out more about him, and was getting nothing in response. Kaname hated mysteries. He _had_ to know what was going on in the world around him to feel comfortable. But despite his dislike for mysteries, he loved challenges.

--

_KuranKing: Alright. If you won't tell me yourself, then I will have to find out._

_Black Diamond: You do that._

--

Zero looked up as another AIM screen popped up. He smiled softly. _Took him long enough._

--

_Black Diamond: Yo, Bro how are things going?_

_Gold Wing: OMG! Zero! It's been a while! Everything is fine here. How about over there?_

_Black Diamond: Well, Ichiru, My newest CD will take a while to finish._

_Gold Wing: I look forward to it._

There was a pause. Then…

_Gold Wing: Shizuka-sama says 'Hi'._

_Black Diamond: Hi Shizuka. I still dislike you for killing our parents, but thank you for taking care of Ichiru for me._

_Gold Wing: She says, "Your welcome."_

_Black Diamond: I still have that painting you gave me Ichiru._

_Gold Wing: Which one?_

_Black Diamond: The crooked one._

_Gold Wing: Oh. That one._

_Black Diamond: Kuran Kaname wants to know who Dia is._

_Gold Wing: You still haven't told anyone?_

_Black Diamond: Nope._

_Gold Wing: Dang, he's going to be running around like a headless chicken looking for leads. Oh BTW, Shizuka-sama says she can still cover for you. She also says 'Hi' to Soshiki and Minrou._

_Black Diamond: They're not here right now, but I'll tell them tomorrow. Tell her 'Thanks again.'_

_Gold Wing: Minrou still sick?_

_Black Diamond: Yea, haven't found a donor yet._

_Gold Wing: Dang, that sucks. Well, I gtg. _

_Black Diamond: Okay, see you bro._

_Gold Wing: Cya._

_-Gold Wing has signed off-_

--

Zero sighed, leaning back in his chair. He pulled out a fresh blood bag and ripped off the top, sipping on it like a can of juice. His body couldn't take blood tablets so the council made a special rule. Instead of tablets, he'd use packets. All the blood was from willing donors, knowing that it would supply vampires.

Zero looked up. There, hung in front of him, was a painting of silver roses. In the center of the roses was a black diamond. The painting was what inspired him to use _Black Diamond_ as a stage name. Apparently both Shizuka and Ichiru had painted it together. Shizuka had done the roses and Ichiru the diamond. Ichiru and Shizuka had come over one day and given Zero the painting, when he was almost sixteen. (Not without great caution from Zero.) When Ichiru put the painting up, Zero commented that it was crooked and Ichiru argued that it wasn't. Then Shizuka had stepped in and made it even _more_ crooked and said, "There! Now it _is_ crooked." So Zero had left it like that.

Zero wasn't really mad at Shizuka. He was eight when his parents were murdered by her, and bitten. He used to be furious at her, but when Ichiru stepped in and defended her explaining her story to him, his hatred turned into a small dislike. When he was fifteen, he found out that all the expenses for food, living, and leisure was secretly paid by Shizuka._ 'Probably at the request of Ichiru' _he had first thought but when he asked Ichiru about it, Ichiru gave him a funny look and said, "What are you talking about?"

The _Bloody Rose_ was a gift from Shizuka. (Also behind Ichiru's back) She told him that if he really wanted to kill her, he should use the _Bloody Rose_ to do it. But Zero couldn't bring himself to kill her. Not when she secretly raised him for seven years. Then she gave him her blood, which allowed him to pass safely to a full vampire and moved in with Ichiru, somewhere far away. Zero wasn't sure where they were now

Shizuka had a grudge against their parents, but not them. She spared them and raised them like her own. Although Zero was raised not knowing it.

Zero met Minrou and Soshiki in medical school, when he was twelve. Minrou was sick and Soshiki wanted to become a doctor to help him. But back then, Zero was suffering from blood craving attacks quite often. Soshiki pitied him, and offered his blood in return that Zero would help Minrou. And Zero did.

When he was fourteen, Zero secretly became a singer to pay for living expenses and food. He used the stage name _Diamond_ back then. When he found out that Shizuka had paid everything for them, he was very grateful to her. At the age of fifteen, he went into Medical Collage for Vampires with Soshiki and graduated a year later at the top of the class. Zero had enough money to open a hospital due to his singing career and named it _Kiriyu Clinic_. Zero moved Minrou into the hospital and it soon became popular. Everyone wanted to see the young genius at work. Of course, at first people were wary about letting a _child_ handle the ill, but after Zero had successfully saved a high class noble from dying, he became the prodigy.

Zero looked at the clock. It was eleven o'clock PM. _I'd better get some sleep._

--

_KuranKing: Tell me._

_Black Diamond: I'm going to sleep. Good Night._

_-Black Diamond has signed off-_

--

Kuran Kaname was not happy. He just got blown off by an unknown person from the internet. Kaname looked at the clock. _So, Black Diamond sleeps at night instead of the day…_ Well there was a start. Now to look for all vampires that sleeps at night instead of the day…

Who was he kidding? There had to be a hundred million vampires out there that sleep at night instead of the day. And Dia might be in a different time zone, which didn't minimize the problem. It was just more likely that Dia was in the same time zone because his CDs were all released here. But that proved nothing.

_Damn, Damn, Damn, __**DAMN IT!**_ This was really bugging Kaname. Well, maybe if he found something about the production company…

Kaname spent the rest of the night finding information about _Black Diamond_'s company.

--

A couple days later, Zero went to work cheerfully. The noble vampire had gotten his heart transplanted overnight and was going to be discharged in a week. Kuran Kaname was going to be discharged tomorrow, if nothing happened today too. This meant Zero would be in his office the entire day filling out release papers and files. And that meant he wouldn't have to see anyone for a whole day! Yup! No Koshima Ray, no Kuran Kaname; just Soshiki and Minrou at night.

His thoughts were squashed when he entered his office, however. Kuran was sitting in his chair _again_. And seemed to be waiting for him. In a full suit for some reason…

"What now?" Zero asked, somewhat grumpily. He couldn't believe that he had to put up with _this_ moron in the morning before he even got to work. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

"I found some stuff about Black Diamond," Kaname said, clearly satisfied about something, "The band was created years ago. But it wasn't really a band; it had no singer. So the band members have never seen Dia's face either. It was funded by Hiou Shizuka, who claimed that she got the request in the mail, without any return address or any hint to who it was from. When she funded it, she was surprised at the music."

"So?" Zero asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So, it is entirely possible that you are the only one in the entire world who knows Dia's true identity," Kaname said. Zero suddenly didn't like the glint in the pureblood's eyes.

"And?" Zero prompted almost fearfully.

"And you're going to tell me. One way or another," Kaname said, a dark look on his face. Zero twitched and Kaname continued, "I also talked with Black Diamond yesterday."

Zero blinked. Was _that_ was what he was so happy about? But somehow the thought didn't ease his nerves at all. _'Well, duh. I know that. You talked to _me_ yesterday,'_ Zero thought. "And?"

"And he wouldn't tell me anything," Kaname said leaning, just a _little_ too close to Zero for comfort, "So, I'm going have to ask you."

"Get out," Zero said quietly, his hair covering his eyes. Zero felt it; the brush of someone else's conscience against his own. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.

"Pardon?" Kaname asked the glint not gone from his eyes.

"I said, "GET OUT"!!" Zero yelled pointing at the door, "I will discharge you today so get out! I never want to see your stupid face again! YOU WANTED TO LEAVE SO BADLY BEFORE SO HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!" Zero couldn't believe that they were back at this subject again. If Zero really did keep that kind of secret, he didn't want it _forced_ out of him by a pureblood. Zero knew what kind of control purebloods had over ex-humans and he didn't appreciate being controlled by one. Minrou did, unknowingly once before, and once was enough! Zero regained his own mind when Soshiki had broken the control over him and Zero found himself in the middle of the street, covered in blood, gleefully ripping out a poor vampire's guts. He was tried and Minrou admitted to holding some kind of control over the ex-human. They forgave both of them, and Zero was allowed back at the hospital again. But it was a horrible experience, knowing that he killed someone without control over his own body.

"OUT!" Zero repeated, "GET **OUT**!"

Kaname didn't move, frozen from shock. Zero stormed past Kaname and snatched a folder from his table. He stormed out about ten times as furious as before and slammed the door shut, creating several cracks in the wall. His silvery-lilac eyes were burning with rage. And Kaname caught a faintest trace of tears on Zero's face.

Zero ran. He slammed the Soshiki's office door open, making Soshiki jump with shock and the windows shatter in alarm.

"Zero?! What?!" Soshiki started but stopped at the sight of tears in Zero's eyes. He was immediately at Zero's side, holding his head in his hands, "What's wrong?"

"Kuran tried to force me to tell. But I wouldn't," Zero said, his voice even despite the tears dripping down his cheeks. "I won't. I won't," He chanted his shoulders heaving, and his body trembling. Zero slid down to the floor. _Why?! Why Kuran?! This is the third time! I haven't cried since that day Minrou accidentally placed control on me and I killed that man!_

Soshiki patted the ex-human on the back. Softly and reassuringly. With those simple words Soshiki knew what was going on. And right now, he hated Kuran Kaname more than ever.

"Shhhh, Zero he didn't know. He doesn't know. Shhhh, Zero," He comforted trying to sooth the obviously distraught boy, "What did you bring?"

Soshiki reached over, picking up the folder from the floor. _Release papers?_ For the noble who got a heart transplant and Kuran Kaname.

"Zero, this--" Soshiki started, but was cut off by Zero.

"I am dismissing him," Zero said, his voice steady.

"Zero…" Soshiki had never seen someone dismissed early before. Late, yes, but never early. Zero must _really_ hate the pureblood. But Soshiki understood. Kaname had unknowingly done something that the vampire community might accept, but in this hospital it was forbidden. Just like those memories that Zero had sealed away…

--

Kaname was in shock. The pureblood somehow drove the ex-human into _tears_. His heart was being ripped apart forcefully. _Oh GOD!_ What did he do? Was it something he said? Something he did? He racked his brain for an answer. Nothing came up. All he did was trying to forcefully get the answer out of the boy. But if he knew that the forcefully pulling the subject of Black Diamond would drive the ex-human to the point of tears, he would have dropped the subject.

'_Dismissed?'_ Kaname's head echoed Zero's words, _'YOU WANTED TO LEAVE SO BADLY BEFORE SO HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!'_ Yes, he did want to leave, but how could he now with the guilt shredding his heart?

Another pureblood's presence snapped him out of his shock. It was the other boy, Soshiki. "You are dismissed from this hospital. In an hour from now, if you are not gone, I will call the council. Have a good day, _Kuran Kaname-sama_," The boy's voice was icy and he had a glare to match it. Then he turned away from the older pureblood and stalked out.

_What?_ Kaname's shock was back. _Dismissed?! Early?! From the hospital?! _If word of this got out, it could cause some serious complications. For both of them. He had to go talk to the ex-human now! Kaname stood up shaky. He stumbled to the door and was about to walk out when he heard a voice.

"Relax," it said. It was a younger version of Soshiki; he had a soft, gentle look on his face. "Calm down and think rationally. Zero just stormed out, furious. Why? Think about your actions. But if your brain can't come up with anything; if you're so curious about why Zero acted the way he did, look it up online."

Then the pureblood left. Kaname regained his composure. He could afford to show weakness now._ Not when he had to clear a couple things up first._ But first…

Kaname rushed to his hospital room and packed everything up. Very fast. He _had_ to see the ex-human before he left. Before that other pureblood, _Soshiki_ calls the Council. He froze when he heard a familiar voice outside the door.

"Leave me alone!"

"Come on, I know you were upset," Said a voice. Kaname didn't recognize this one. "How about I make you feel better?"

"Get away from me!" The voice… it couldn't be?! "Knowing you it would probably have something to do with a bed!"

"We could use the floor if you prefer that," The voice said and Kaname felt a bubble of raw anger… and protectiveness… flood through him. He strode over to the door, leaving his stuff behind, and banged open the door. There, Zero with an unfamiliar man, were walking swiftly down the hall, towards him. _Koshima Ray _was the name on the nametag. Zero's face was clean; not a trace of tears was on it. And he seemed back to his usual sarcastic self.

"Ewww! No! You pervert. Get away from me before I defenestrate you!" Zero snapped to the boy. It seemed neither of them had noticed him standing there. He felt a rush of delight when Zero showed his revolt for the man.

"You can't do that! I'm a patient!" Ray said, in what seemed to be a seductive voice. He failed.

"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Zero snapped, "And you are a patient that deserves to die! Who told you to drink so much so quickly?! Even a vampire's body couldn't handle the amount of alcohol you took in! The only reason your still here is because you're on the stupid waiting list to get a stupid liver!"

Zero had suddenly spotted Kaname down the hall. He smirked. _Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone. AKA Embarrass Kaname Kuran and get Koshima Ray off his back._

Kaname knew that Zero saw him. And the smirk on his face sent shivers up the pureblood's spine. _Just what was he planning?_

When Zero reached Kaname he turned to face him, ignoring Ray. He slid his arms around the pureblood's neck, who had stiffened in shock. "Why would I want to go out with you when I have a perfectly good _lover_ here?" He asked Ray.

Ray's jaw dropped to the floor. _What?!_

Kaname was just as shocked. _What?!_

"You're- You're lying," he stammered. Personally Ray didn't know Kaname, but everyone knew of the next Vampire King.

Zero's smirk widened. "Ohhhhhh, am I?" Without looking at Kaname, the ex-human slid a hand up to the pureblood's tie. He undid it slowly, seductively, dropping it to the floor when it was undone. He opened Kaname's shirt and slid a hand over the smooth flawless skin of the pureblood's neck, brushing against the collarbone, causing a delicious shiver of desire to run through Kaname's body. That's when Ray bolted.

"Good riddance," Zero sighed, releasing the pureblood, "Maybe now he'll leave me alone." Then he looked at Kaname, who was still frozen in shock. "What's up with you?"

"What was _that_ about?!" Kaname said, desperately trying to keep the flush from showing on his skin.

"That was payback," Zero said raising an eyebrow, "I'm not the type to hold grudges so I get back at people as fast as I can."

"And," Kaname said slipping a hand behind the doctor's waist, "You think I'll let you leave it at that?"

"You might not, but I will," Zero said, slapping the arm away, "I told you; you were dismissed from the hospital. Get out already."

"Hmmm, but I don't want to," Kaname said in a dark voice. Zero inwardly shivered. _WTF?! Okay, I know I should have an open mind about sexualities, but Kaname just saw me getting _hit_ on! And now he's _seducing _me?!_

"Yea, that's nice," Zero said frowning. He started to walk away but Kaname slipped a hand around his waist again. "Let go. I have more important things to attend to than sexually frustrated vampires."

"Oh?" Kaname's eyes were glinting with a deep desire for the ex-human, "Well, I feel like dealing with _this_ sexually _deprived_ vampire. And in a minute you'll _feel like _dealing with _this_ sexually frustrated vampire."

"That's great! Go find yourself one," Zero said, ignoring the second sentence of Kaname's little speech. He tried to push the pureblood off him, "Kura-"

But Zero never finished. In one swift move that Zero was unable to see, Kaname had crashed their lips together. At the same time Soshiki walked around the corner and dropped the clipboard he was holding. Soshiki's eyes widened and his jaw plummeted to the floor.

"You didn't tell me you were gay!!" Soshiki exclaimed when he recovered from his shock. Honestly, he was just coming to see if Kaname Kuran had left the hospital and he stumbled on this scene. It wasn't entirely unexpected…_ but this was Kuran_! The man that dig up painful memories from Zero's little vault not half an hour ago.

Zero and Kaname broke apart. Zero's face was flushed a deep, healthy tomato red while Kuran looked, more or less, satisfied.

"Soshiki! It's not what you think!" Zero said quickly.

"_What's_ not what I think?"

"Uhhhh…"

"I think it _is_ what I think," Soshiki said slyly, "And I think you're in denial."

"Wait! Soshiki! Listen to me!!" Zero exclaimed. But he was ignored

"You better take good care of him, Kuran," Soshiki said. Ignoring a desperate Zero screaming, 'LISTEN TO ME!!' in the background. Kaname blinked. "Otherwise you'll be hearing from me."

"Of course!" Kaname said cheerfully, "I'll take care of him better than I do myself."

"That's good to hear," Soshiki said smiling, "Zero?"

But Zero wasn't paying attention. He was looking down the hallway. His face portrayed shock and a flicker of fear (_that_ was stuffed out almost immediately). His eyes were slightly widened and the flush had drained out, turning his face into a pearly-white.

"What's wrong? Zero?" Soshiki asked worried, "Zero?"

Zero waved his hand to shut him up. His eyes narrowed. Something was there… Was it? In one swift motion he pulled out the Bloody Rose out and shot directly to the end of the hallway. A loud resounding 'AIEEEEEEEEEE!!' echoed through out the building.

Zero half relaxed, looking at the idiot in front of him. He couldn't believe it. Eight years… Eight bloody, _fucking_ years and the idiot shows up.

"Who paged the idiot?" Zero asked Soshiki.

"Not me," was the curt reply.

"You're so mean, Zero, shooting at me when you first meet me after so long," whined a man with sandy blond hair. Another man stepped out from the shadows. He had raven black hair and an eye patch covering his left eye. The man with sandy blond hair, AKA the idiot, was the headmaster of the high school he went to. The man had found out that Zero was a vampire, when Zero was suffering from an attack at the age of twelve. Apparently, Kaien Kross was a hunter and a pacifist, dreaming about piece between vampires and humans. (This made no sense to Zero.)

The other man, Toga Yagari, was a top hunter and the one who trained Zero to be a hunter. When he found out that Zero was a vampire, he pretty much ditched him, leaving him to fend for himself at the age of nine. As soon as he did however, he regretted it. He didn't have enough courage to ask Zero if he would be willing to be a hunter-in-training again until Zero was fifteen. Zero had politely refused, seeing as he'd already begun his medical career and still in the singing business. So Toga had supported Zero when he was in Kross' school.

There was a small smoking round hole where the ex-hunter's head was three milliseconds before he moved. "Serves you right, sneaking into hospitals like that," Zero said. "And I suppose this is your past time hobby?" He added sarcastically, "Cause if it is, I'm surprised that your not dead yet."

Toga looked extremely proud. Zero was able to sense both of them despite the fact that they were using hunter spells to conceal their presence while the two purebloods had been unable to sense them. And it was nice to see his ex-student doing so well.

"I actually came here to give you a present from Shiki Riido," Kross said, "He said this is your Christmas present."

"Then it's either ten months late or two months early," Zero said raising an eyebrow, "That it?" He asked nodding to the huge black covered lump behind them.

"Yes! He said it was fitting for a vampire like yourself," Kross said tugging the cloth off with a flourish.

Zero twitched. Then another **_BANG_** echoed through the hallways of the hospital, followed shortly by a squeal of fear from the idiot.

* * *

_** A/N**_: So? How was it? Read and review as usual. Reviews make me happy. And me happy equals fic being updated faster.


	3. Silver Shadow

**_Silver Shadows_**

Disclaimer: I do not own VK!

_**Author's Note:**_ Okay… I lied. But I have good inspiration for this story and quite frankly, I like where it's going.

--

"Where are we going?" Soshiki asked. After work in the hospital that day, Zero had said (in a rather even voice) that they he was going somewhere and Soshiki should come. Then after saying a short 'goodbye' to Minrou and stepping out the hospital doors, they were met with a rather alarming sight. Kuran Kaname somehow found out about their little visit and insisted on accompanying them despite Zero's comment of, "_Stalker_."

Kaname had been discharged earlier that day. True to Soshiki's word, he had left before an hour came up. Either way Soshiki wouldn't have gone through with the threat… Not after what he saw.

Soshiki looked at Zero. The silver haired man was driving both purebloods to God-knows-where for some reason. He scanned Zero's facial expression. He didn't seem mad.

Okay… that was a lie… a _bad_ one. Zero's face was contorted with fury. His eyes were tinted red and his fangs were showing. You could practically see the steam rising out of his head and the dark red aura surrounding the boy. But it wasn't directed at the pureblood sitting in back. Rather, it was shown every time the car gave a sharp lurch in the opposite direction.

Soshiki had to grip the car very hard to avoid smashing through the window as the car gave another sharp turn. The pureblood in back did too. Kaname looked as if he was debating about asking Zero how the ex-human got his license.

Zero stopped with a screech. They were in a graveyard looking place with a rotting mansion in the middle. The hedges were metal spiky ones and covered with moss and thorns. Vines were surrounding the windows, the shutters were slammed shut. A hint of light was peaking through, indicating someone was home. The wooden sign near the top of the house was rotted so badly, that the first part of the words was illegible. The second part read 'house'.

The poor abused car's tires were smoking as Zero stepped out and slammed the door shut. He stomped to the front door knocking on it so that the hinges were about to fall off. Both purebloods looked at each other, sliding smoothly out of the car. They shared the same look, '_How does Zero know of this extremely shady place?_'

The door creaked slowly open. They were momentarily blinded by a flash of light.

"Welcome!" a cheerful voice said. A man with blond hair and green eyes gestured to the sparkling vases and the gorgeous chandelier hanging from the front hallway. The floor was covered with a rich deep red carpet and the stairs reached the second floor.

"Takuma?" Kaname said walking in behind Zero.

"Oh! Hi Kaname!" The man, Takuma, said optimistically. Takuma's grandfather was fairly powerful in the council. Zero knew this, which is why he didn't want Kaname to come along. They'd get side tracked.

Zero turned to the man with soft auburn hair. He looked into the silvery-blue eyes and said seriously, "Is your father in?"

The boy nodded and said, "Follow." The boy began to walk up the stairs.

"Ah! Shiki," Takuma said, "Wait for me."

"Father, you have a visitor," Shiki said knocking on a very grand door and opening it. The man looked up still holding a paintbrush in his hand, "Oh?" He put the brush down, removing his apron, "Who?"

"Kiriyu Zero," Shiki said. The man froze. Then he promptly turned to the window with every intention of jumping out and froze again. There, in front of the window, stood Zero with a rather interesting twitch on his eye. A gleam flashed through the lilac, "Hello, Riido, I got your present. And I'd like to say 'Thank you'."

"I-I see," Riido said, nervousness obviously flashing through every word, "Do you like it?"

"Why, yes I do, it will be put to good use," Zero said, an evil smirk flashing past his face, "Let me show you…" Zero picked up the huge lump behind him and swung it at Riido. It hit him dead on.

Riido fell sprawled on the floor. On top of him was a huge black box with the lid sliding off. The top was decorated with a painted silver rose with a black diamond in the center. The inside was lined with soft fluffy red material and the bottom had layers and layers of silk. It was slightly larger than Zero himself. In short, it was a coffin.

"I don't need it however. Therefore I _insist_ you take it back," Zero snarled.

"Ow, ow, ow," Riido groaned sitting up so the coffin was lying on his legs, "Unfortunately, I made it especially for you. So it would be quite rude to refuse it."

"What would I do with it?" Zero asked raising an eyebrow, the evil smirk gone, "I work in the day and sleep at night. Surely I wouldn't need it. You could sell it."

"I can always make another," Riido said, "I _am_ a coffin maker."

"You know what?" Zero said twitching. He pulled out the _Bloody Rose_, gripped the chain and swung. Riido's arm was immediately ensnared and Zero swung him into a white unpainted coffin, slamming the lid on and locking it, "You can stay in there."

"Hey! Zero! Let me out," Riido said knocking on the coffin, while everyone else sweatdropped, "Hey! Zero!"

"Fat chance," Zero said, now amused, "You stay in there for all I care." He looked at the black coffin contemplating. Coming to a decision he said to the locked coffin, "I'll keep this, though."

"I'm glad," Riido said, "I spent _so_ much time on it."

Zero glared at the closed coffin. Then with one swift motion he slammed the coffin on the floor and sat on it. He closed the lid to his coffin and leaned it against the wall not moving from his spot. Then he turned to Shiki with a cheerful smile, almost mirroring Takuma's, "May I have some tea, Shiki?"

"Sure," Shiki said walking out the door. Takuma followed Shiki like a lost puppy. "Soshiki, won't you join me?" Zero said patting the coffin lightly.

"Sure," Soshiki said. But before he could take three steps, Riido broke the lock and sent the ex-human flying by slamming the lid open. Zero landed neatly on his feet and smirked at Riido, who looked irritated. He climbed out of the box still glaring at Zero and walked to the door. He stopped when Zero spoke.

"You totally deserved that," Zero said. "But to thank you for the coffin, should I make some cookies?"

Riido's expression changed drastically. "Sure," he said enthusiastically. Zero smiled and walked out the door, gesturing the two purebloods to follow him. All three of them walked into the kitchen, where Shiki was boiling water for tea.

"Takuma? Shiki? I'll make snacks. You can go chat in the other room," Zero said cheerfully. Both boys brightened and yanked the two purebloods out the door. Zero slid up his sleeves and pulled out a large metal bowl and a pan.

--

"So, how do you know Zero?" Kaname asked. He was very interested about the story. He looked at the nobles in the room curiously and his gaze landed on Soshiki. "Takuma?"

"Oh! I met Zero through Shiki!" The blond said smiling, "After we became boyfriends and I moved in this house."

"My father was a patient in his hospital. He collapsed in the middle of the street and was carted in. Turns out that it was just an overdose of UV rays," Shiki said in a monotone. He pointed to the plush chairs in the room, inviting the purebloods and Takuma to sit down. "It seems father had met him before though."

"I did," Riido said walking through the doors. "The first time I met him was at Kross Academy with Soshiki-sama," He gave a short nod to the pureblood, who nodded back, "Anyway, I was there to talk with the headmaster and Soshiki when Zero walked in, holding a batch of cookies. They were very good, so every chance I get, I have him cook for us. Unfortunately, since he runs a hospital, it's hard to find time."

"Hmmm, Well Zero and I go way back," Soshiki started, "Did you know, before, Zero was bitten by a pureblood? But she didn't give him her blood, so he was doomed to become a level E. He suffered a slow transformation since he was eight. When I met him, he was twelve severely deprived of blood. He has a strong will, preventing him from drinking blood. I offered my blood to him because he reminded me of my little brother Minrou. Both of them had suffered so much. My blood managed to pause his transformation for a while, but not forever. Three years later, when Zero was fifteen, the pureblood came back and gave her blood to him, allowing him to pass through. He promised he would help Minrou, in exchange for my blood, and he did. We opened a clinic together."

"You do know that's forbidden, right?" Riido said, "Giving your blood away."

"I don't believe anyone in this room would sell me out to the stupid council," Soshiki said, "But I could erase your memories if it makes you feel better."

"Uhhhh, no thanks," The noble said, turning away. A delicious smell emitted from the kitchen and Zero appeared, holding a tray of teacups and tea. "The cookies are baking, so enjoy this first." He was met with four vampire's pitying looks, "What?"

"I told them of how I met you," Soshiki said, "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh," Zero said. He shrugged, "I don't really care." He turned to the three nobles and Kaname, "Wipe that look off your face. You're looking at me as if I was a teapot with a crack." He reached into his pocket to pull out his tea mug and met empty air, "Damn, I forgot." He pointed to Kaname and said, "You owe me a new tea mug."

"Sure," Kaname said, glad to have another excuse to visit the ex-human in the hospital. He liked watching Zero work. Every remark that the ex-human made, every look, every _movement_ was refreshing.

"By the way," Zero said looking at Riido, "Why did you tell that stupid chairman to bring the coffin to me?" He put the teapot on the table with the cups and began to pour the tea into the cups.

"He said he was going to visit you can I didn't have the time," Riido said.

"Oh. Well because of you, he's missing part of his liver," Zero said, pulling a small object out of his coat pocket and holding it up. Soshiki turned a light green color.

"That's disgusting," he commented, "Zero, you're crazy and disgusting."

"Ugh, Soshiki," Zero said gripping his chest with one hand, "You break my heart."

"You had a heart? Since when?"

"I _did_. Now it's brokeded cause of you," He said sarcastically, "You brokeded my heart."

"Your still crazy," Soshiki said a smile widening on his face.

"Who says I don't like to be crazy? I like being crazy! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside," Zero said, patting his chest for emphasis, "Cause I'm special."

All three nobles and Soshiki burst out laughing. Kaname chuckled and said, "So if your heart is broken, what can I do to fix it?"

"You?" Zero said looking directly into Kaname's brown eyes and pointing, "Get me my mug. I want it to be white with a silver rose on it like my last cup."

"If I recall correctly it also had a black diamond in the center. The rose also had red splashed on it," Kaname said evenly, "Your coffin had a rose and the black diamond too; just what importance does it have on you?"

"…No comment," Zero said.

"Hmmmm?" Soshiki picked up a cup and sipped the tea, "Zero wouldn't tell us either. All of us are left in the dark. You should do as he says though Kuran-san; it'll be good for the common good."

"What common good? All the common good I know is me, myself and I," Zero said raising an eyebrow.

Soshiki nearly spat out all the tea he had in his mouth. Instead he struggled to swallow it and gasping he asked, "Just _why_ did you become a doctor then?!"

"For myself. _Obviously_."

"I think he's in denial. But he's cute that way too," Riido said cheerfully reaching over to pick up a teacup. His hand never got there though.

_**CLANG!**_

Riido's face was plastered on the floor. Zero was standing over his fallen body holding a large thin black object that he picked up from the fireplace. "Serves you right, trying to hit on me. You pedophile!"

"Is that a poker?" Takuma asked pointing to the object in Zero's hands. Both nobles started to laugh.

"Uhhhh." Zero looked down. Then he swung the poker behind his back, careful to avoid his head. But the poker was too long to fit behind him so it was peaking out innocently past his shoulder. "What are you talking about? I don't see a poker. Ah hahahahahaha," He said trying and failing to look innocent.

Soshiki and Kaname both burst out laughing. _Really, the ex-human was too funny. _ Kaname could see now; Zero _did_ fit the rumors. Sure, he was a bit more serious in the hospital but at parties, this humor would be a breath of fresh air.

Shiki looked at his idiotic father, still half laughing, "Father, I think it's time you learned from your past mistakes."

A _ding_ ran from the kitchen. Zero stood up, sliding the poker back to its place near the hearth. Striding to the kitchen, he smirked. _Ah, old times._

Kaname wiped a tear from his eye. The smell of cookies was intoxicating. He took a deep breath as Zero came out holding a tray of cookies and a small box.

"Made oatmeal raisin. That was the only ingredients you had," Zero said. He placed the tray down and gave the box to Soshiki, "Some for Minrou too."

"Thanks," Soshiki said, taking the box and putting it on his lap. He picked up a cookie and took a bite. "As good as always Zero."

But Zero wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Riido's body. _Something was off. He's a noble; he should've regained consciousness by now. So why was he just lying there?_ He looked around the living room. Nothing was changed since he just left. His eyebrows furrowed. _What in the world?_

A soft giggling noise echoed though out the room making the chatter of the nobles and the soft words of the purebloods stop. A silver feather floated down from the ceiling making everyone look upwards. It was followed by another, and another. But there wasn't a hole or anything. They just _appeared_.

"I'll be nice this time," The voice said. '_A male child's,' _Zero noted. "You can have his soul back. But next time, I won't play as nice."

_What?!_ Zero thought. _Riido's soul was taken?_ But now that he looked back at the body, it made sense. His body wasn't dead; it was just empty.

The feathers disappeared as they landed on the floor. A crystal bottle soundlessly dropped to the floor. Inside was a glowing red butterfly. Shiki leaned down and attempted to pick it up.

"NO!" Zero said, "That bottle holds a soul! It is very soft! If you pick it up with your bare hands, you could crush the bottle and destroy his soul!"

"So, how am I going to get his soul back?" Shiki asked leaning backwards. Zero moved in front of the bottle and pulled out a scalpel. He made a small cut at one end and the butterfly floated outwards, free of its cage. It landed on Riido's body and disappeared. Riido glowed for a second and his eyes flew open. "What?!"

"He wasn't the soul I wanted. I want Diamond's soul. And anything I want, I get," the voice said, "Won't you play a game with me? But not now. Later…" The voice faded away and so did the feathers.

The silence seemed to last forever.

"Zero? What was that?" Riido asked, rubbing his head. "I remember you hitting me and then nothing."

"Zero?" Soshiki said, "If you don't want to tell us, you don't have to. Zero?"

"Not here," Zero hissed and for the first time, his eyes glittered with an unknown menace; an unknown anger.

"Thank you for letting us stay," Zero said cheerfully, "But we _must_ get going." He pulled on Soshiki's sleeve and dragged him out the door. Kaname followed moving swiftly to the car.

"Riido moved your coffin to the trunk," Soshiki said softly, hugging the box of warm cookies to his chest.

"I know, I saw him," Zero said frowning. "Kuran, where do you want to be dropped off?"

"Where ever you're going is fine," Kaname said.

"Fine, we're going back to the hospital. Call someone to pick you up there," Zero said shortly.

--

Their drive back to the hospital was as violent as the drive from the hospital. As soon as they reached it, Zero pulled Soshiki out of the car and left Kaname standing alone. Zero continued to pull the pureblood until they were at Minrou's room. Soshiki knocked before Zero could bang open the door. The ex-human ushered the pureblood in and closed it behind him. Then the silver haired man slid to the floor in relief.

"I don't get it. What was that?" Soshiki asked. Zero stood and walked over to the window seeing Kaname being picked up by a black limo. He sighed but didn't turn around, "First fill Minrou in. If I tell you now, you won't get it."

Minrou listened attentively as Soshiki filled him in, munching on the oatmeal raisin cookie. He nodded at some parts and looked confused at others. Then when Soshiki got to the part with the voice, he looked somewhat surprised.

"That sounds like an old legend I know!" Minrou exclaimed when Soshiki had finished.

"Minrou, you know it?" Zero asked turning around when Kaname had been driven away, "The legend of the Silver Shadow?"

"What?" Soshiki still looked clueless.

Minrou turned to the older pureblood. "It's a really old legend. Here I'll explain it."

--

_Once long ago, there was a little boy on a farm. His family was poor so everyday he prayed to the god._

"_Oh God," he would say, "Please let the harvest this year be good." The god took pity on the boy and gave him good luck at the harvest. He was a very kind, gentle little boy and the god saw that. But every couple years, the god had to let the land rest, resulting in a bad harvest._

_But the boy never gave up. Everyday he would pray and he would always thank the god if the harvest was good. The boy, of course, grew up after time. The god came to like the boy and protected him from misfortune. The god would walk in the boy's shadow, so that the boy would never see him, but he would be able to protect him._

_But whenever the god walked a silver flicker would appear. Gods usually float so the god would sometimes stumble in his step. Gods do not have shadows, but can take the form of a human. So the boy soon was named 'the lucky one with the silver shadow.'_

_There was a man that lived across the family; envious of the good harvest the family had most of the time. He sulked and threw things but it didn't quell his temper at all. He also owned a farm, but the god, seeing the greed and laziness that the man had, refused to give him a good harvest. The man had tried to steal from the boy's family, but was always unsuccessful because if the god's protection._

_Then the man prayed to the god and said, "Please God, cause misfortune to the family across from my house. They have good luck and do not deserve it."_

_The god, furious at his request, denied him and caused the misfortune he asked to fall upon the boy's family, to befall him. The god also cursed him, raining bad luck on his head for however long he lived. Then the devil, who was good friends with god, cursed the man to be reborn every time he died so he would forever be cursed. _

_But the devil did not tell the god what he was doing. The god did not know why (when the man died) that another child was born with the same bad luck. And because the man had bad luck, he died young._

_Unfortunately, the man was reborn as the child of 'the lucky one with the silver shadow.' The god horrified and confused that his protection on the boy was fading, consulted his good friend the devil to help. The devil admitted in placing a curse on the man and alarmed, the god rushed down to remove the curse placed on the 'lucky one's' child, in desperation to save the father's life. But it was too late. Misfortune had befallen the family and the only one who survived was the child with bad luck. His father's good luck had protected him, but now he was dead, leaving the child the only survivor of a bandit attack._

_The god was able to remove the curse of being reborn. But in return the man with bad luck had to live as a spirit forever more. He also lifted his curse of bad fortune, but was unable to lift all of it. This resulted in a spirit of a child with unusual powers. _

_The boy soon realized what the god was doing and vowed to get revenge for the years he suffered. The child had the power to remove souls from bodies, but only if he touched them and used his will to pull out the souls. It would be a fight against wills inside bodies; the one with the stronger spirit always won. If the child won, he would pull out your soul, but if the other soul won, the boy would never be able to wage a battle with that particular soul ever again._

_Every time he appears though, black feathers would float down. The child had black angel wings since he wasn't accepted into Heaven or Hell. He would collect the souls in little bottles, all lined up in a row, on a shelf._

_Soon the child gathered enough souls to fight against the god but was unable to win. Gods can purify souls; and because of this, every time a tainted soul touched the god, it was sent to heaven. In rage the boy now seeks to steal the god's soul. He waged a soul battle once with the god and was unable to win. So not the boy is trying to steal the devil's soul and pit them against each other._

--

Minrou finished the tale by putting the half empty box of cookies on the table near his bed. "So that's the story. Pretty creepy huh?"

"But why would the devil be friends with the god?" Soshiki asked confused, "Aren't they _supposed_ to be enemies?"

"Well, rumor has it the god saved the devil's life once in a battle. Apparently Heaven and Hell were fighting and the devil got wounded. The god nursed him back to health and the war stopped," Minrou said shrugging, "And ever since then there has been peace between the two worlds."

"It's true," Zero said his back to the window. "The legends and rumors were true. There once _was _a boy that the god disliked. He _did_ curse him. And he _is _a spirit."

"How can you be so sure?" Soshiki asked.

"You saw the proof yourself," Zero said nodding.

"That could have been all a coincidence," Soshiki said.

"The possibility of that is extremely low," Zero said, "And one of the characters from the story is standing in front of you."

"Who and where?" Soshiki asked looking around.

"The god," Minrou whispered, "You're the god, Zero. No wonder you were able to survive that long transforming into a vampire."

"Yeah," he said softly.

"I always knew there was something off about you," Minrou whispered in the same soft voice, "When I controlled you, there was a part of you that I couldn't reach. That must have been the God part of your soul. I am only a pureblood; I can control ex-humans but not Gods. This is the reason why I was able to control you for only a little while."

"So," Soshiki said, finally catching on, "If Zero's the God then who's the devil?"

"Ichiru," Zero said softly.

"WHAT?!" Both purebloods yelled, "He's your brother!"

"He took a human form as I did," Zero said, "When Shizuka bit me, she did not know I was a god. I sealed my memories away until I was fifteen years old, as Ichiru did."

"Then the unlucky little boy was…?"

"The voice you heard. He seems he somehow found out about my secret career too," Zero said, "Not that it is going to be secret anymore with him on the rampage."

"And the lucky one?"

"He was a boy reborn as a vampire noble. Fiercely loyal and has the ability to control ice, I believe. His name is now…"

Minrou's and Soshiki's jaw dropped. "Hanabusa Aido," they whispered in unison. Suddenly their voices rose in alarm.

"Are you serious?! HIM?! THE LUCKY ONE?!"

Zero held up a hand to shush them, "I'm not positive, the one who sent the soul to the body was Ichiru, not me. He never told me who it was."

"Wait, the god had an attraction to the boy right?" Soshiki asked, "So you, Zero the god, fell in love with him right?"

"Well, It was more of a one sided love, but more or less, yes," Zero said, "And I was guessing Aido because of the way he acts, loyal…"

"It's not Aido then," Soshiki said, "You only met him once at a party and you thought he was a brat."

"You have a suggestion then?" Zero asked, raising an eyebrow. _Someone I am attracted to? I don't think there is an… OH CRAP!_

"It seems you know what I am going to say before I say it," Soshiki smiled. Minrou caught on, as Soshiki had told him of what happened earlier that day.

"Kuran Kaname!" All three of them said.

--

In a mansion pretty far away, Kaname was sitting in his fluffy blue chair reading a book. He sneezed.

* * *

Okay, I really lied. Badly. But either way, read and review as usual.


	4. The Devil’s Advocate

_**The Devil's Advocate**_

_A/N: Sorry about the long wait! I lost my plot bunny for this one! But then he came back._

_Disclaimer: I own no part of VK!_

--

"I don't believe it. I refuse to believe that _moron_ is the boy that I protected years and years and years ago!" Zero said.

"It makes sense though," Soshiki said. "Not even Koshima Ray liked you that much the minute he saw you. It took him a while. Then again, it took six days for Kuran-san to kiss you. It makes me wonder when you two are going to get it on…" He added thoughtfully.

"I- He- We- But-," Zero stuttered, trying to talk in complete sentences, but not knowing which point to address first.

"Oh yes!" Minrou added. Watching Zero squirm with discomfort was a very rare occurrence, and ever rarer was the amount of embarrassment. Minrou fully intended to make good use of the time he had. "You must tell me how things are between you two. Have you told him that you are Dia yet? Or have you moved in with him already? Did he propose yet?" Minrou watched in amusement as the ex-human flushed twenty different shades of red and mumbled something about taking the coffin out of the trunk. The purebloods looked at each other smirking with satisfaction. _Too much fun._

--

"Kuran, that bastard!" Zero growled, looking into an empty trunk. He had just come outside to retrieve his gift from Riido only to find the coffin missing and a small note in the trunk saying '_Come get it!_' signed with a rather loopy signature and an address.

--

Ichiru looked on AIM. He sighed. Zero wasn't on yet. The silver haired man tapped the table impatiently. He stopped when Shizuka placed her arms around his shoulder whispering a "what's wrong" into the skin of his neck.

"It's Zero. He hasn't contacted me for five days now. It's not like it hasn't happened before, but it's unusual. I have a bad feeling about this," Ichiru said quietly.

"A devil's instincts?" Shizuka asked, "It was never wrong before. Maybe we should go visit him…"

"Hmmmm. If he doesn't come on tonight then okay," Ichiru said.

Shizuka removed her arms from his shoulders. "I'm going to sleep for tonight, okay?"

Ichiru gave her a soft, "ahh" for confirmation, not turning his head. Shizuka walked out of the door to her room. She sat on the bed holding her head in her hands. _Why does he care about Zero like this? Why? Is it because he loves him?_ She lay on the bed. _I love him so much. I've given him everything he wanted._ She closed her eyes, sleep pouring over her like water.

She didn't notice the soft child's giggle followed by a black feather floating beside her.

--

"Maybe we should contact him. Kuran-san, I mean," Minrou said thoughtfully the next day. He was sitting up, feeling much better than he had in days.

"No can do," Zero said, "I mean, we could tell him what's going on, but I doubt he'd have anything to defend himself with against a spirit. The Soul Stealer can sense us gods and devils, so there's no use on trying to protect them."

"You have to tell him though," Soshiki said, rubbing his arm. He just gave Minrou a large portion for his blood. "He has to know what's going on."

"Why didn't The Soul Stealer attack you when you were a child then?" Minrou asked. "It isn't exactly hard to take down a child."

"Without my memories, my spirit isn't there," Zero said, looking out the window to see a black car driving up the road, turning into the hospital. He closed his eyes. _If it was an emergency then they'd call him, otherwise they know to leave me alone when I'm in Minrou's room._ "Think of a body like a box; usually one soul fits in that box. But this body is different. This body has two souls. One 'Zero' the ex-human vampire. And one 'Zero' the god. It is almost always impossible for a body to have two souls unless a special instance happens. The 'Zero' you see now is the ex-human vampire 'Zero', not the god 'Zero'."

"I see… That makes sense," Soshiki said, "But what about your brother Ichiru?"

"The one you see and have met is the human side. Neither of us have actually shown you our god side," Zero said turning around and raising an eyebrow.

"Ah. Okay," Minrou said, "So what are you the god of?"

"Luck, purity and time," said a voice at the door.

Everyone whipped around at the unexpected intruder. Minrou jumped and the vase next to the door exploded, making the person at the door jerk alarmingly.

"Is that how you say 'hello' to people nowadays?!" The man said, "Geeze!!"

"Not my fault! Both of you have the bad habit of just appearing out of no where!!" Minrou defended.

Zero walked up to the mirror copy of himself, clapping him on the shoulder warmly, "Yo Ichiru, how have you been doing?"

"You guys really are brothers, with the same bad habits," Soshiki muttered.

"So?" Both silver haired men asked at the same time.

"That was not a complement," Soshiki added before Zero could say, 'Thank you!' "And why are you guys so infuriating?!"

"Cause it's interesting," both said with one finger pointed upwards to prove their points.

"Ugh…"

"Anyway, Zero! How come you weren't on AIM for so long," Ichiru asked, "I was getting worried!"

"Before that, have you seen or heard anything strange lately?" Zero asked, suspiciously.

"Strange?" Ichiru put on hand under his chin thinking hard, "Well Shizuka was still asleep when I went out today; I guess that's pretty strange. And you didn't sign on AIM for six days; that's pretty strange too."

Zero's face planted to the floor. "Not that kind of strange! The mysterious unexplainable kind of strange," Zero said.

"Not recently, why?" Ichiru replied, looking worried.

"Have you used your powers recently?"

"Nope."

Zero sighed, then said, "Good, because I have a nasty pit in my stomach. Something's about to happen and I don't like the feel of it."

"I had that feeling yesterday too," Ichiru said, "Hmmmm…"

"Could it have anything to do with the Soul Stealer?" Minrou asked sarcastically.

"WHAT?! The Soul Stealer? He's back?" Ichiru said alarmed.

"Yes, we met him yesterday," Soshiki said frowning, "Though not face to face…"

"Hmmmm… suspicious…"

"What is?" Soshiki asked looking up from placing another comfy pillow behind Minrou's head.

"Well, usually the god of fate and destiny would prevent us from meeting. To have forced us into a confrontation is rare," Ichiru said thoughtfully, "The god of fate really likes us after all. Us being Zero and I. The god of memories likes to work with the god of fate. In other words, they're probably plotting something."

--

_**Flashback (Zero's memories)**_

"_So when we're fifteen, make sure we get our memories of our god time and powers back," Zero said sternly to a man with blue eyes._

"_Sure," the god of memories said._

"_And make sure you give back all our memories," Ichiru added._

"_Okay."_

_Both silver haired men shot the god of memories a suspicious look. The god was a very playful one. Topped with the innocent convincing look and it was a deadly combination. It was very hard to tell if the god was serious or not, but both knew that the blue-eyed one would never do anything to harm a fellow god. It was an unspoken rule that all gods respected and cherished each other's presences. But being around too may gods, too long and they would come crave companionship._

_Gods didn't make good friends. They made better allies than friends. Gods did favors for other gods to benefit themselves. Unless you were the god of fate, who would hit on both silver-haired boys every chance he got. Although lately, he seemed to try and pair the two good friends up; which was in a way even more disturbing._

_The reason the god and the devil wanted to be born into the human world was because of the loneliness they both harbored. For too long, both have stayed in the realm of the creatures. For too long they have planned this trip to the human world._

_All gods were blessed with the gift of perfection; the protection of all the other gods. But only one god kept the entire group of heaven together. The god of balance; also known as the first god. But the one that kept Heaven and Hell together was Zero. Ichiru was the leader of Hell after all._

_Except back then, they weren't known as Zero and Ichiru._

_**(End Flashback)**_

--

"Ne? Soshiki?" Minrou asked when Zero and Ichiru left to catch up on 'old times'. Minrou looked as if he was going to fall asleep anytime, his head dropping a few inches. He was sitting on his bed, determined to get answers from his older brother.

"Yes, Minrou?" Soshiki asked, pushing his younger brother back onto his fluffy white pillows. Minrou needed his rest. Soshiki had to be prepared for tomorrow; another transfusion was taking place.

Minrou allowed himself to be pushed back and rested his head on the pillow. But he fought the overwhelming sleep creeping on him. "Did you know about those two? Zero and Ichiru?" He began to cough

Soshiki pulled up a chair to sit next to his brother, patting him gently on the back. "No, not directly from them. I suspected of course. You can't live with Zero without noticing some things off about him."

Indeed, the pureblood had woken up in the daytime (while the sun was out) to see Zero pacing slowly, back and forth, back and forth. But when he asked Zero what was wrong the next day, Zero would give him a very odd look and say '_what are you talking about?_' Also there would sometimes be an odd feel that the movements Zero would display. Sometimes Zero would add an extra jump to his steps, for no apparent reason. Soshiki would sometimes walk past Zero's office during work to find the ex-human alone in his office, quietly arguing with some invisible man. But when the pureblood would look in, Zero would stop and go back to whatever he was doing.

"Oh," Minrou said quietly. "You know, when I possessed him, I couldn't really control him. Well, I was able to at first but then..." Minrou paused then continued, "I lost control over him. That's probably why he went crazy and murdered that vampire on the street."

"What now?" Minrou asked, more to himself than to Soshiki, "How should we treat him knowing that he is a god?"

"Like we always have," Soshiki said softly. Being a pureblood really isolated them from other vampires wherever they went. It was nice having someone treat them as _living creatures_ rather than a fashion display. He could relate to Zero's position. Even when Zero had found out that he was a pureblood, he had still treated him as he always had; Soshiki was truly grateful for that. At least he wasn't being ogled at all day and night.

With a small jolt, Soshiki realized that he didn't really know Zero too well. Yes he knew the simple basic things about Zero, such as his past and birthday, but he didn't know anything about his friend. The pureblood still couldn't tell Zero's emotions apart, nor could he tell anyone what the ex-human's favorite color was. He had never known Zero's hobbies or his habits. _Hell,_ the ex-human knew more about the pureblood than the pureblood knew about the ex-human.

Well, they could catch up on lost time.

--

"Well, what do you think?" Zero asked walking to his office with Ichiru striding next to him. Ichiru looked thoughtful, looking down at his feet, as Zero had filled him in. When Zero finished, he looked up.

"I think guarding Kuran Kaname would be our first priority. If we leave him like this, he could get his soul taken and cause a panic," Ichiru said, pulling out a small blue notebook. "Let's see if my notebook has any spells…"

"Your spell book would hold spells to transform your looks; I doubt it would have anything to do with protecting," Zero said raising an eyebrow, opening the door to his office. Ichiru glared from behind his book, and if Zero wasn't a god, he would've caught fire.

Ichiru flipped past the section of transformations into females, before landing on a page of summonings. "I could summon someone to protect him…"

"It would be safer to protect him personally," Zero said sarcastically. He turned around to see a wide-eyed Ichiru, "What?"

"What a great idea!" Ichiru said a smile breaking on his face, "You can personally protect him!"

"WHAT?!" Zero screamed. "I have work to do! I can't exactly take off! But there is another way… If you're willing to protect him in the shadows, we could possibly work something out… You should probably reveal yourself to him so that he knows. I don't mind if you use my name."

"I guess I wouldn't mind… for awhile…" Ichiru said slowly.

--

A Council member looked at his assistant. "Make sure to clean this up after you're done, I need to get home."

"Roger!"

As soon as the man was gone black feathers rained down.

--

"Another one carted in!" Soshiki said to a panicked Zero. It was the next day, and the patients wouldn't stop coming. They never got _this_ busy.

"Same symptoms? Just collapsing and not waking up?" Zero asked, trying to sort the numerous piles of papers on his desk. He tipped a pile over by accident and cursed loudly.

"Yes! But this time, it is a twenty year old man!" Soshiki said, picking up the fallen papers swiftly and looking on his clipboard.

"Shit! It has to be him!" Zero growled.

"The Soul Stealer?"

"Who else?"

Zero slammed his hands down firmly on his desk. "I have to stop him! This is madness! He's going to attract unwanted attention!" He grabbed his jacket and turned to the pureblood, "Think you can care for the hospital for awhile? This might take from anywhere to a week to a couple months."

"Months?!"

"Soshiki! People are dropping like flies out there! Only Ichiru or a god can defeat a spirit! Preferably, Ichiru, because he is a devil. The soul stealer can't take the soul of people that are impure, so that saves Ichiru the burden," Zero said placing one hand on the windowsill. "Keep in touch with me using my cell," he said before jumping out.

"But--" And the ex-human was gone.

--

"Ichiru where are you?" Zero asked into his cell. He was running to his own house, looking for something that might help in his library. He glanced at the house next to his, noting a sickly looking girl looking out the window. _Can't get distracted._

"Ah, I'm currently at a café, disguised as you," Ichiru said softly back, "Kuran is sitting a couple chairs away. I'm surprised he hasn't noticed me… Ah! He noticed me, gotta go bro."

_Was that déjà vu? _Zero asked holding his phone in one hand, looking at it while he fumbled for his keys with the other. _Hmmmm _

--

"Zero!" Kaname said just noticing Ichiru/Zero and walking up to him, "I'm glad you're here! But why aren't you in the hospital?"

"I needed a break, so I asked Soshiki to cover for me," Ichiru said. _Act natural, act natural, act natural…_

"I see," Kaname said cheerfully, pulling up a chair and sitting at 'Zero's' table, "Must be tiresome."

"Uhhhh, yes," Ichiru said, "Well I have to go." He stood up, with every intention of leaving.

"I'll go with you," Kaname said standing up as well.

"It's okay," Ichiru said quickly. _GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY!!_

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." _STOP THAT!_

"Well, alright," Kaname said, "I have your cup by the way, come over to my house to pick it up."

"I'm afraid I lost the address, would you mind giving it to me again?" Ichiru said pulling out a sticky note. _This is starting to get very creepy; just what relationship do those two have anyway?!_

"Of course."

--

"That makes five!"

A little boy half pranced around. The walls next to him were covered in jars, each with a small glowing butterfly. The only difference was that some of the butterflies were red and some of them were white. He giggles, opening a jar and placing the butterfly he had by the winds inside. He clammed the lid shut.

"Soon, Diamond! Soon I will have your soul and you will pay for what you did to me!"

--

_**A/N: Not very long this time. But I promise the next one will be long! Read and review as usual!**_


	5. The Stalking of Kaname

_**The Stalking of Kaname**_

A/N: See if you can guess who Ichiru is! This is purely make-up for the short chapter!

--

"Leave things to me."

Ichiru hung up. Pulling out his blue book of spells, the devil flipped to a page about transformations. He wanted to blend in the crowd of this party because Kuran was in there. _This was going to be fun._

There was a flash of light and Ichiru walked out from behind the pillar.

--

Kaname walked around, smiling at people who bowed or waved at him. Being a pureblood meant unwanted attention. The pureblood stood at the wall, watching the ball unfold by itself. A pretty lady was dancing with Takuma. After the noble was done, he bowed and walked over to him.

"Kaname, are you not going to dance?" Takuma asked, "This party was held especially for you." He reached for a drink, but a butler placed one in front of him instead. The noble took it with a 'thanks'.

"I'm not interested in dancing today," Kaname said softly, also taking a drink from the butler. The butler bowed and left holding his silver tray. "I feel tired."

The announcer walked up to the stage. He fixed the rose on his chest absentmindedly and said, "Ladies and gentleman! Good evening! I would like to introduce our soon-to-be Vampire King! Kuran Kaname, please come up here!"

Kaname moved as applause echoed through out the room. Among the loudest was Aido and the lady that was dancing with Takuma. He walked up the stairs and the announcer moved away to let Kaname have the stand.

"Good evening!" Kaname said when a hush fell over the room, "I would like to apologize for my collapse the other day. But have no fear; it was only an overdose of UV rays. Our most famous doctor has patched me up nicely! Please give Kiriyu Zero a round of applause even though he was unable to attend!"

Applause fluttered through the room. A child with brown hair blended into the crowd. Most of the other vampires didn't notice, but Kaname did.

"I will also like to note that in the human side, my 'election' is coming up!" Kaname said, choosing to ignore the child. "For the first time ever, the Vampire Council leader might also be leading the human world! The thought of peace between humans and vampires, originally started at the Kross academy, has worked wonders! Finally, humans and vampires will be able to live and work together in harmony!"

As Kaname continued his speech, several things happened without his knowledge:

The child walked up to a man. The man frowned, but didn't say anything. Giving the man a smile, he sat down in the chair next to him. _By the end of the night, he would've lost his soul._

An hour later, Kaname walked off the podium finally finishing his speech. Music came on and the ball resumed. The child got off the chair and walked to the door, only to be stopped by two burly security guards. Both had seen the man drop as the boy touched him.

"We can not let you pass unless with your parents!" the one on the right said. The child giggled and touched both security guards. _Such weak wills!_

And the boy was gone.

The woman who had been dancing with Takuma gave a shriek. She stopped dancing to rest near the front door because she felt tired. Everyone in the room jumped and their attention flitted to the doorway, where three people were passed out.

--

A god strung the strings on his harp. Running his hands across, he paused. Around the walls were thousands of musical instruments. Music papers littered the floor. He stood up.

"Zero has forgotten our contract!" He said, his blond hair swishing behind him. "He said he would produce the next song because I gave him that voice!" He opened the door to his room.

"Yo! Rizumu, out of your little hole?" The god of fate asked, casually leaning back on a chair.

"I'm going down to Earth!" Rizumu snapped.

"Hahahaha! For what?" The god of fate asked, "Don't tell me because of Zero. You blackmailed him. Not only that, you didn't tell him until he had already used your gift."

"But he agreed!" Rizumu growled. The god of music ignored the other god, cackling wildly behind him and traveled down to earth.

--

"What's going on?!"

"OH MY GOD?!"

_**Your**__ god? _Ichiru thought irritably.

"Help!"

"Please, everyone clam down!" Kaname yelled. The room became silent as their Vampire King spoke. "Takuma, please move those people to the nearest hospital."

_What in the world is going on?!_

--

"God of Music, please," the most unlikely person whispered, his hands folded before him in a prayer. Koshima Ray was kneeling on his bed. He accepted his fate, thinking he would never get a liver transplant. He knew he would die. "Before I die, I wish to listen to the next CD from Black Diamond. It is my favorite band but I fear I might die before that happens."

Rizumu passed by. He heard the man pray. _Chance! If I make a contract with this man, then I can get Zero to talk to me! And he has a pure heart; one who loves music!_

"Child of vampire," Rizumu said softly, letting his voice run in the wind. Humans and Vampires couldn't see spirits, gods or devils. They are transparent unless the god or devil chooses to reveal themselves. "I have heard your prayer. I will allow you to live if you let me borrow your body."

"God of music, what would you need this weak, sickly body for?"

"Child, I seek to finish something," Rizumu said softly, "create a contract with me."

A sheet of paper floated down. It landed on Ray's lap. The vampire noble picked it up.

_I, Koshima Ray, allow the use of my body in exchange for a healthy liver. The god of music, Rizumu, may occupy my body at any time, but I will still be conscious of what is going on. He will not betray me, as I, never, him._

Ray picked up the pen shaped as a musical note and signed. Rizumu smiled.

--

"Kaname-sama I apologize for this inconvenience. This was not meant to happen," the announcer said sorrowfully. People were filing out the large wooden doors.

Kaname shrugged. "What about those people?"

"They are fine; they seemed to have just collapsed from exhaustion," the announcer said.

"I see," Kaname said looking behind the man to the doors.

'_I do too,'_ Ichiru thought looking at Kaname in the eye. He fidgeted lightly when Kaname gazed in his direction, uncomfortable with the attention.

"Thank you and good evening," Kaname said smiling. He put a hand on the announcer's shoulder and walked out the door.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Cookies to people who guess right! Read and review like usual!


	6. The Power Of Music

_**The Power of Music**_

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait. But I was spending my time on other fics. People didn't review for chapter 5! (Feels sad) So thanks to GoddesOfWrath, BlaiseAchilleas, and yuu for reviewing. (Gives cookies)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own VK._

--

Ichiru twirled a silver tray in his hands, behind the doors as Kaname was lead out. Most of the higher level vampires were departing as well. _Time for my next job._ He pulled out his little blue book and flipped to another page. _Time to be Zero._

'Zero' walked out, holding the butler's silver tray smiling.

--

A little boy sat on his throne looking down onto a large model of Earth. He clapped his hands together. "Now who's next?" He spotted a black soul next to a red one. _A demon next to a vampire?_ _The only demon I know is Sei, now known as Ichiru. _The boy looked for a gold soul. _Ah! There's Dia. _He scanned around the gold soul. _But where was he? Not in the hospital or in his house. _His gaze hit something else, which startled him.

_Two of them?! Two gold souls?! What in the world?! _The boy leaned closer. The two souls were going to meet. Then one of the gold souls flickered out of sight only to reappear next to Dia's house.

_In human terms, it is night._ The little boy thought. His gaze flickered back to the black soul next to the red one. They seemed to have met and the black soul was walking away. When the red soul had gotten a certain distance, the black soul turned around and followed the red soul, walking the same pace.

--

Meanwhile with Rizumu…

"Heh, this is actually a nice body," Rizumu said flexing the muscles and pulling several stretches. '_Of course it is!_' _Ray said, 'But what are you going to do in it?'_

"Oh, Koshima-san," Rizumu said gently, "Don't worry. I just need to clear something up with someone. More specifically Kiriyu Zero."

'_What?! But-_'

"Nothing to harm him," Rizumu said, effortlessly cutting the noble off. He blocked the vampire noble from hearing words from the outside and whispered a soft "sleep." Ray collapsed inside his own body, falling deeply asleep. By putting him to sleep, Rizumu had not nullified the contract.

Rizumu walked out the hospital. He could sense the other god close and then was able to see him. Zero was walking, holding a binder in one hand, looking intently at it.

God souls were like a lamp. You could turn it off so no one would see you or you could turn it on, so other gods could find you. However, Rizumu was a very secluded god. He doesn't pay attention to what happens in the outside world and constantly stays in his house. He had become accustomed to hiding his soul.

"Zero," Rizumu said striding up to the god of luck, "I-"

Zero gave a startled look that quickly turned to disgust. He slammed the binder shut and said stiffly, "Can't talk now, I have stuff to do." He said quickly before vanishing.

Rizumu blinked. _Huh?_

--

Zero reappeared next to his house, having run the entire way. The girl next door looked outside, surprised at his sudden appearance. Then she shrank back in the shadows.

The ex-human shrugged and walked slowly and carefully, opening all his senses to see if anyone was following him. Finding nothing, he semi-relaxed, gripping the binder. Zero had lost count of the number of times Koshima Ray had followed him to his house. Zero unlocked his front door and went in his house, immediately locking it behind himself, so that no weirdos would be able to burst in while he was studying. Zero reopened the binder to a page about how to purify a suspended soul and continued to read without any interruptions.

--

Ichiru was hiding his soul too. He completely cloaked his presence, knowing that the pureblood would be able to sense that he wasn't Zero if he didn't. After all, biologically, he was not a vampire. Right now he was sitting in a café reading a book, sipping the black coffee placed in front of him. Ichiru looked up as footsteps approached again. _Kuran again?!_

"We meet again Zero," Kaname said cheerfully. Ichiru placed down his cup and looked at the pureblood.

"It's nice to see you again," Ichiru said. _No it's not. I'd prefer if you never came near me again._

"Kaname-sama," a man said, probably from the counsel, "You have a meeting in half an hour." Kaname turned to the man. They chatted for a bit before the pureblood turned back to 'Zero'. But 'Zero' was gone, leaving behind a five dollar bill.

Ichiru continued down the street, gripping his book. When he deemed the pureblood's soul far enough away to follow, he turned and walked the opposite direction. A man ran up to the devil and glared.

"Zero!" Rizumu said, glaring, "Why did you just take off on me like that?!"

Ichiru looked confused for a second before covering it up. He was used to the fact that people mistook him for his brother, but seeing how he was supposed to be his brother right now…

"Sorry, I had something to do," Ichiru said smoothly, stopping, "What is it that you wanted from me?"

"I wanted to ask you; why have you stopped our contract?!" Rizumu hissed angrily. When 'Zero' looked confused, Rizumu flicked his hand and a sheet of paper appeared. He handed it to 'Zero' and folded his hands as 'Zero' read.

_I, Dia, will create music for Rizumu, as long as he doesn't speak a word about my travel down to Earth as a human. In exchange Rizumu has handed me the power of voice. _

Underneath the writing was a loopy signature that Ichiru recognized as Zero's.

_This is messed up._ Ichiru thought. _Rizumu, you did not tell Zero that you gave him your gift of voice until after he used it to sing. The head of the gods really doesn't care what we do, as long as we don't unnecessarily kill anyone. And seeing that he found out three days after Dia left, this contract would have be considered blackmail. You're lucky Dia is kind and continues to complete this already voided contract. I would've shredded this thing already. And seeing that you never get out of that rat hole of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know._

"Ah, my apologies," Ichiru said, restraining himself not to shred the sheet of paper in his hand and giving it back to Rizumu, "But I am very busy now. The next Vampire King needs my help." And with that Ichiru vanished too.

"The next Vampire King?" Rizumu growled his bangs covering his eyes, "He's the reason you cannot sing, Dia?"

--

The little boy looked at the devil's soul, and then back at the vampire soul he was following. _It was very uncommon for devil souls to follow other souls. Usually they'd just kill them and be done with it. Unless… Unless that soul is special._

The little boy sat up, leaning closer to his model of Earth. The black soul and the gold one had met up; the black one, paused for a second, then moving back to his current direction, still following the red soul. The gold one followed the black soul. _What?! Now two of them protecting the red soul? Could it be…? The lucky one? The lucky soul that I have searched for, for a hundred years? _

The boy smiled. _Perfect. Finally, he would be able to rest in peace. If he captured that lucky soul, he would be able to reverse his own misfortune._

--

Rizumu was going hunting. Vampire Pureblood King Hunting. He was a little more than mad that Zero just took off on him, but hunting down a god was the stupidest thing one could ever do. So he decided to take down the offending problem. Unfortunately, he had a problem. How in the world was he going to take down someone who always had a large amount of people (day and night) around them?

Of course, he could just use his God powers to track him. But that would cause a large amount of unnecessary attention. If a God lifted something with his mind or hands for that matter people would see something floating.

'_But…'_ Rizumu thought, '_There are other ways to kill someone without attracting attention.' _He did not want people after his host after all, or else the contract would be broken. Well, he could always think of something.

The problem was not Kuran, it was Zero. Zero would undoubtedly do anything he could to stop the God from achieving his goal. And Zero was much more powerful than him. Adding on the fact that he was friends with a demon and Rizumu would be signing his death wish.

But Zero was staring to worry him. Ever since he arrived in the human world, he had made less and less contact with those in Heaven. Sure, he would still keep to the contract, but it was only because Zero did not like to break off any type of contract. The higher up didn't seem to care about it, so it didn't worry him too much but still…

Even in his little 'room' Rizumu would hear of tales from Zero. When Hiou Shizuka attacked the Kiriyu family, other gods were very tempted to go down and help Zero. But Zero was technically 'human' at the time and gods were forbidden to interfere in human affairs. When Zero regained his memories, he sent a note to the gods telling them that he was okay.

But moving back to the current time, Rizumu had to think of something.

His chance came when Zero walked home to sleep. Kuran Kaname was finally alone.

--

Ichiru picked up his cell when he finally left Kuran for the day. He changed his form back to his own body and dialed Zero's number.

"Hello? Zero?"

"_Ichiru? What's up?" _For some reason, Zero sounded tired…

"First day is finished. You take over tomorrow," Ichiru said into his cell, "I'll help Soshiki and the others and try doing some research."

"_Roger that,"_ Zero said and ended the call.

Ichiru held the phone away from his ear. He should go check up on Soshiki and Minrou or else they'd probably get worried. Ichiru made his way to the hospital. He stared at the sign up in front.

_Full? It's possible to fill up this hospital?_ Ichiru thought walking through the doors. The lady up front was about to approach him before Soshiki ran up.

"Zero? Thank God. We need you're help now more than ever," he ranted, shooing the lady away before taking a good look at Ichiru, "You're not Zero."

Ichiru sighed, "No, I'm not, but I'm here to help anyway."

"Do you have any experience in the medical field?"

"Some, not a lot, but I can fill out paperwork," Ichiru said. He looked around and whispered in Soshiki's ear, "and forge Zero's signature."

The pureblood gave him a skeptical look, "You really are a devil… Fine, go to his office and start working on it."

Ichiru nodded and walked to Zero's office. He sat down in Zero's chair and began to fill out the mountains of papers on the ex-human's desk. He worked hard into the night, oblivious of what was happening to the outside world.

--

Zero groaned and slumped against the many pillows on his large bed. Papers were littered around him; books were everywhere; and pencils and pens were scattered all over the place. Even for a god, this kind of research was difficult. Damn it! If he could only bring all of his books from his other room in heaven…

Zero forced himself to pick up the next book. He had to finish this, for all their sakes.

--

Kaname was walking home, thinking. What could the mighty Vampire King be pondering about you ask? Well, Kaname was wondering about his meeting with Zero this afternoon.

Yes, he could see Zero and feel him, but Zero wasn't really there. It was like, Zero had no soul. When he first met Zero, the ex-human had a powerful presence. But when he saw him this afternoon, Zero was lacking it.

It was very strange. Kaname moved slowly to his car, wondering why he felt so uneasy about the Zero he met this afternoon. It acted like Zero too, so it was Zero, right? Kaname started the car, still deep in thought. His thoughts were shattered when a large blast from his radio sounded directly into his sensitive vampire ears.

He tried turning it off, but it seemed to be jammed. He was tempted to just break the thing, but it would be irritating not to have a car of his own for a couple of days. Kaname flinched as he pulled up a CD and put it in, turning down the volume. The smooth sound of music echoed through the car as Kaname relaxed in his seat. He put on his seat belt and placed the car in 'drive' mode. He looked at the CD he placed in with a small smile.

_You are truly amazing, Black Diamonds, _he thought as he began to drive home.

Rizumu stood, transfixed, when Zero's voice came on the radio suddenly. When he finally snapped out of it, Kuran was gone.

"…DAMN IT!!!!!"

Alright, if that's how Kuran wanted to play it, then he would play along. He followed the car at inhuman speed, jumping over telephone poles and looking for his next chance.

Meanwhile, the little boy was following the car too. In the human world, he wasn't exactly solid, as humans could not see him, but if he touched someone, they could feel him. It was also possible to stay in human form, but then the god would notice him.

Rizumu looked up. Chance! When Kuran's car was directly underneath, he snapped the cord, dropping the piano from ten stories. The men lifting the piano screamed as the piano fell, plunging down at around 200 feet per second.

Unfortunately, Rizumu forgot one thing. The car was still moving. So when the piano hit the floor, making a loud _CLANG_ as splinters flew everywhere, the car was already out of reach. Kaname stopped as the piano hit the floor, rushing over to see if anyone was hurt. Rizumu quickly slipped out of sight.

Thankfully no one was injured. No one they could see at least.

The little boy lied flat on the floor. _Having a large grand piano squishing you is not fun_, he thought to himself. _Stupid bad luck, stupid Dia…_

--

By the time Kaname returned home, he was exhausted. He looked around his bedroom and his eyes landed on one thing. _I think I'll sleep in the coffin tonight._

--

_A/N: Read and Review! Reviews make me happy!_


	7. Not Ticklish, Sensitive

_**Not Ticklish, Sensitive**_

_A/N: WARNING! LEMON AHEAD! I figure many of you are waiting for this…_

_Disclaimer: I don't own VK_

_--_

A few days later, Zero was still in his room, researching. It was well into the night, around three in the morning. The god's brain was hurting due to all the information he was forcing himself to cram in his head.

Zero frowned as he felt something missing from his bed. _Papers, pencils, books… teacup!_ The ex-human groaned and reached for his coat.

--

Understandably, Kaname was surprised when one of his servants came in, telling him that he had a visitor. Just when Kaname was about to settle down in the coffin, too. Kaname frowned and stood up. _It better be someone important and not the damn council hassling him again…_

Kaname blinked twice when he was met with a familiar face. Kiriyu Zero stood at his doorstep, looking exhausted and hassled. He raised an eyebrow as Kaname invited him in with a gesture.

Zero, against his better judgment, followed the pureblood up the flight of stairs to his bedroom. He stopped when he was inside and held out a hand saying, "My cup?"

Kaname handed a teacup with silver roses decorated on it. A small black diamond was in the center of the largest one. Zero, however, was looking around the room. A large bed was next to a small table. Next to it was large windows with the curtains drawn. On the other side was a set of doors, either to the bathroom or to a closet. His eyes landed on an open coffin on the side of the bed.

"Hey, this is my…" Zero started slowly, but then stopped as he faced the pureblood. There was a glint that he didn't like flashing in the wine-red gaze. The pureblood looked down slowly, seeming to undress the ex-human and Zero suddenly felt very… exposed…

"Uhhhh…" Zero grabbed his cup frowning at the pureblood. He didn't want to tap into his god powers, but he was tempted at the moment. Zero jumped as the door behind him suddenly slammed and locked itself. _Uh oh…_

Zero backed away as the pureblood walked forward. _I knew this wasn't a good idea…_He could see the flash of lust flickering in the blood-red gaze. And he's in bloodlust…_ Great._ Zero didn't want this to get out of control. He was forced to put down Koshima Ray once when he got the same look, but this was _different_. Zero suddenly realized that Kaname had backed him to a wall.

Kaname pressed a hand next to Zero's head. He pinned the ex-human's wrists above his head, effectively trapping the boy to the wall. He slowly tasted the skin on Zero's neck. _Wonderful…_

Zero flinched and jerked, trying to get his wrists out of the pureblood's grip. He had never allowed anyone to taste his blood now that he regained his memories. He was sure it would taste the same, as he maintained his 'ex-human' body, but he didn't want to take any risks.

"Ever held of self restraint, Kuran?" Zero hissed, suppressing a shiver of… pleasure? "You seem to be lacking it--!!"

Kaname bit down, finally tasting the warm blood of the boy. His eyes almost rolled into his head as he tasted the rich and powerful life-source for Zero. Kaname drank slowly savoring each and every last drop hitting his tongue.

Zero shoved him away, looking stunned. Never, _never_ had anyone bit him after he regained his memories. Why had he let this person? He placed a hand on the still leaking wound and pressed on it, looking at Kaname wearily. The teacup dropped on the carpet floor making a dull _thunk_ but not breaking. It must be his lack of sleep affecting him, yes; that had to be it.

Zero looked frowning at the pureblood before walking two steps to the door. He tried opening it, only to confirm what he already knew; it was locked. He suddenly found himself pressed face first against the door. _Again?_

Kaname hovered behind Zero. He pulled Zero's hand away from the wound before licking up the small trails of blood, oozing. Zero began to fall, exhausted from the lack of sleep and dizzy from blood loss. _Crap._ The ex-human didn't want to deal with the pureblood now.

The pureblood caught the boy, stopping to move them onto Kaname's large bed. Zero's back hit the sheets and Zero would've marveled at the soft silk sheets if the situation hadn't been so serious. The silk was as elegant and soft as those he had back in Heaven, although those sheets were not made of silk. They were made of gold woven into silver and platinum. The metals were melted down, and then pulled into thin fine strips. After that, they were enchanted with the most complex holy magic. They could keep one warm, even through the coldest weather.

Back at the problem at hand, the god was snapped back into reality when his shirt was unexpectedly torn from his body. That was the last straw. In one swift movement, faster than Kaname could see, Zero flung him off. He sat up quickly and was suddenly reminded of his headache. The boy groaned and held his head, crumpling back onto the silk sheets. _Great… What could possibly get worse?_

"Human bodies are so inconvenient," Zero muttered, with one hand on his head. In Heaven, he didn't have to sleep, unlike the human world. Sleep was a luxury for Gods and Devils alike. Also in Heaven, he did not get tired as easily. But now… just a couple of nights without sleep made his body horrendously weak. In heaven he could go weeks even maybe _months_ without sleeping. Not even a week in the human world and his body was all ready to collapse in on itself. _Human weakness…_

Kaname stayed where he fell, shocked that the ex-human was able to push him away so easily. It was impossible for an ex-human to have so much power. The only way for an ex-human to have this kind of power would be if they drank from more than one pureblood. But… Kaname wasn't surprised. He would certainly allow Zero to drink if he asked. His eyes trailed down the boy's pale body. _Perfect._

Zero's body was already weakened by the lack of sleep, followed by the blood loss. The ex-human wanted nothing more than to _sleep_.

"Kuran," Zero said abruptly, "Do what you want, just let me sleep here… for a bit…" The boy shut his eyes, knowing that he was just putting himself in danger. Truthfully, sex wasn't a big deal with Zero; it was the thought of allowing himself to be weak in front of others. At the moment, he didn't have a choice but… Well, at least, at Heaven he had experience with males and females.

Kaname frowned displeased. It wasn't as if he didn't want to take Zero up on that offer, it was the way the ex-human worded it. It was like he was trading himself off for letting him sleep. Nope, not going to happen. Kaname wanted Zero, yes, but he wanted him willing and ready. And he knew just how to make Zero respond in that fashion.

Zero's smooth chest rose and fell softly, signaling that he was attempting to get some rest. But Kaname saw his body tense slightly when he moved over to the angelic body. Kaname buried his face into the soft warm skin of the other, breathing slightly on his shoulder. Kaname just noticed that one side of Zero's neck was covered by a bandage.

"Zero?" Kaname asked softly, tracing the bandage. Zero tensed, and placed a hand on the bandage, looking away self-conscious. Under the bandage was a seal. Not just any seal though, it was the thing that proved that Zero was a God. Each God had their own seal or mark somewhere in their body; Zero's just happened to be on his neck. To avoid unnecessary attention from Heaven, Zero wore the bandage to hide the seal and suppress his powers. Unfortunately, his powers were too large to conceal completely, but the bandage was like a plug. Removing it would release his powers.

"It's nothing," Zero said frowning. He had lost count how many people wanted to remove it. He was forced to erase the memory of every single one of them, and that was one thing he hated doing. But something was strange. Zero had placed a spell on the bandage after Koshima Ray tried to remove it. The spell was designed to blend the bandage with his skin making it impossible to see. Perhaps it didn't work on Kuran because he had drunk his blood.

Kaname frowned and gently scratched the sides of the bandage, trying to get it off. Absentmindedly, he wondered why he didn't notice it before. His thoughts were rudely interrupted when Zero slapped his hand away, "Don't touch it."

The pureblood frowned and looked surprised. _Could it be… the place where the ex-human was first bit? _Kaname wondered. _After all this time, it still has not healed?_ It made sense and it was a good reason why Zero did not want to show him, but something didn't quite add up. Even if Zero only drank from his 'Master' (Kaname made a mental note to ask Zero who his Master was and then hunt the person down) he would have healed. Although one pureblood's blood would already make him extremely strong and heal his body of all injury, it would not be enough to push him away. For an ex-human to defy a pureblood took an unbelievable amount of strength and willpower, which no single pureblood's blood possessed.

Kaname was then reminded of the conversation that he had with Mokaiyama Soshiki. _"My blood managed to pause his transformation for a while, but not forever."_ Wasn't that what Soshiki had said to him? So Zero had drunk two pureblood's blood. One pureblood would've made him a worthy opponent for a spar to a noble class vampire, but two would make him one to a pureblood. Kaname desperately wanted to test his theory out.

But not now. Kaname still wanted to test a theory out, but this was a different theory. The pureblood caught Zero's hands in his own and pinned them by his head. Zero frowned, but didn't say anything. He didn't usually like the feeling of being restrained but he was a man of his word. He had told Kuran that he could do anything he wanted so he was going to keep that promise.

…Even if that meant that he was going to enter a world of pain.

Fortunately, Kaname had no intention of hurting the ex-human. The pureblood slowly traced Zero's body with his tongue, memorizing every curve and line. Zero shivered, partially from the chill from not wearing a shirt, and partially because the pureblood's actions were sending little sparks of pleasure down his spine.

Zero tried to maintain his calm physique when Kuran unexpectedly shoved his hand down his pants, gripping his erection tightly. Kaname frowned at the lack of expression Zero was displaying. The pureblood was looking forward to shattering the mask and replacing it with a pleasurable one.

Zero hissed, gripping the sheets tightly when Kaname slowly traced a hand down his erection. Kaname smirked. _Well, that was a start._

"Ahh-hhh, Kuran," Zero groaned when Kaname stroked his erection, pausing only to rip off Zero's pants and boxers. Zero was unable to hold in a scream when Kaname stroked and kissed him softly. He blushed scarlet as the pureblood traced his body softly with his tongue.

"Kaname," The pureblood said calmly, making sure that he was still driving Zero up the wall with pleasure as he spoke, "Call me Kaname, Zero." He purred out the doctor's name, firmly stroking him at the same time. He watched as Zero struggled to regain his mask of calm, and moved faster, knowing that Zero was close to the edge, by the way he was trembling underneath him. The boy gasped lightly and shivered when the pureblood spoke.

"Ahhhh… Kana-me," Zero groaned. _So close, so close… _The god released into Kaname's hand, panting and gasping. Zero tipped his head back, revealing the smooth pearly white skin to the pureblood. Kaname leaned down and licked the skin, wanting very much to bite down and draw the smooth warm substance from the silver haired man.

But he couldn't.

He had already drunk from Zero and drinking from the ex-human again could possibly unnecessarily hurt him. He was trying to woo the boy, not injure him.

Kaname chuckled and licked the white milky substance off his fingers. It was sweet, much sweeter than he thought it would be. He smiled and Zero looked away, flushed.

The pureblood placed a hand next to Zero's head. For a minute, he thought that Zero looked a lot like a god. Those angel-like fingers gripped the sheets and the beautiful body was pale and pure. To Kaname, Zero seemed very much like a divine being.

Kaname slid both hands around Zero's back and lifted him up gently. The pureblood slid himself inside, loving the touch and feel of Zero's body clamping tightly around his arousal.

Zero sucked in a sharp breath. Kaname had not prepared him, but it wasn't all that painful. Pain to him was nothing; it passed as quickly as it came. Time was nothing to a god. Besides, Kaname was careful and slow in his movements.

Intense pain and pleasure mixed together as the pureblood moved. Zero flinched slightly, but Kaname didn't seem to notice. The pureblood was too busy trying not to move too fast, too quickly in risk of hurting the boy.

The pain vanished and pleasure stuck Zero's body deeply. The god groaned pushing back slightly, signifying the pureblood to move faster. Kaname complied and picked up his pace, moving deeply and quickly with every thrust. Zero moaned and arched his back, pressing his arousal to Kaname's stomach. The pureblood smiled and gripped the doctor's arousal again, running his hand from base to tip matching his thrusts.

Zero moaned, feeling himself come close to the edge. He untangled his hands from the sheets and shakily brought them up to snake around Kaname's neck. Kaname smiled, his eyes a soft mahogany color as he moved faster, wanting, needing to release into this beautiful divine being.

The doctor arched his back, giving a silent scream while he climaxed. Kaname groaned, as Zero's walls clamped down on his arousal and he released as well, still stroking the boy's arousal. Panting, the pureblood collapsed, drunk on pleasure and the scent of Zero's body.

The pureblood slid next to the ex-human, pulling up the crimson silk sheets. He rested his head next to Zero, deeply inhaling his scent. Somehow, Kaname didn't feel ashamed of what he just did. It felt natural. Ever since he laid his eyes on the boy, he knew that he was special. Something inside him made him want to protect him, help him, and worship him.

He looked at the peaceful sleeping face of the ex-human and his mind was made. He would protect this boy. _At all costs…_

--

Kaname woke up to a completely empty bed. He was disoriented for a minute before the recollections hit him full force.

Where was Zero? He should've woken up if his lover had gotten up. Purebloods were sensitive to movement and disturbance. The pureblood would've heard the door open and close if Zero had left. But the boy's clothes were gone as was his teacup. The only evidence that remained was his scent. Kaname gripped the sheets and inhaled one last time, as if he would forget this aroma if he left…

A small _chink_ downstairs caught his attention. His room was soundproofed, but now that he was awake, he could concentrate on the smallest sounds. He could hear murmured voices downstairs. He recognized one of them as the maid in the household but the other…

_It couldn't be?! He hadn't left?!_

Kaname threw on a shirt and raced downstairs in shock. He slammed the dining room doors open and all the maids and butlers bowed.

"Good evening, Kuran-sama."

Kaname wasn't looking at them. With one hand, he dismissed the maids and butlers and they scurried off to do other work in the house.

When the last person left and the door was shut behind the pureblood, Kaname jumped at the only occupant left in the room. He held tightly and inhaled, loving the scent.

"Hey! Kaname, get off me," Zero said, fighting to release himself in the crushing grip of the pureblood. "Are you listening?! Hey!! You're suffocating me."

The pureblood released the boy, only too happy that he had stayed. Kaname then put his attention on the table. Zero noticed his look and said, "I was wondering if you would join me for tea?" He had a light flush on his face.

"Of course," Kaname smiled. He probably would agree to anything the ex-human wanted at this point. He sat down, marveling at the light blue cups and pot. There were small daifuku, dango and manju in the center.

"The tea is gyokuro, brewed at fifty three degrees Celsius, steeped for eighty seven seconds. The daifuku has sweetened red bean paste inside. The manju are matcha manju. The dango are chichi dango," Zero said, pouring Kaname a cup of tea and pushing it lightly towards him, "I brewed it myself. Try some…"

The thought of trying something that Zero made, caused Kaname smile. He picked up the warmed tea cup and sipped slowly. It was very good. Zero pushed a small plate of daifuku towards the pureblood and poured himself a cup of tea in his own cup. Zero couldn't deny that the cup that Kaname gave him was a very good cup as he sipped the warm tea lightly, sitting down next to the pureblood.

"Zero?" Kaname suddenly started and the ex-human looked up. "What I did yesterday to you is not something you should feel ashamed about," he said seriously, which caused Zero to flush again, "I wish to repeat that and I hope that you feel the same way."

Zero looked at the pureblood in surprise and picked up a stick of dango. He didn't say anything for a minute and Kaname was just about to lose hope until, "I'm not ashamed of what happened yesterday," Zero said, biting off a dango, "I told you 'you could do anything you wanted' in exchange for letting me sleep here and you kept that promise."

He paused for a second and placed the dango stick on the plate in front of him, "But I wouldn't mind repeating the experience again." His face was still flushed, but there was a firm note in his voice, "I just wished you went a little slower. That was my first time, I'll have you know."

"First time…?" Kaname was shocked. He was sure that Zero had experienced it before which was the reason why he just skipped all the foreplay and gone straight to doing it. But knowing that he had never been touched that way before made Kaname all the more determined to protect him.

Zero wasn't lying. It was his first time. At least, in this body, it was. He frowned at the shock in the pureblood's voice. _Was it that surprising that he had never been with anyone before in this body?_

Now that Kaname rethought his actions, he felt terrible. He had almost _forced_ Zero to submit himself to him, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No," Zero said. The answer was straightforward, without a shred of embarrassment, "You didn't hurt me." Zero sipped his tea again.

The pureblood placed a hand on Zero's and placed down his cup. Zero also placed his cup down, confused at Kaname's actions. The Vampire King moved forward slightly and brushed against Zero's bite area, which caused Zero to inhale sharply.

"You're ticklish?" Kaname asked.

"Not ticklish, sensitive," Zero whispered; his head falling to the pureblood's bite area as well. The ex-human ran his tongue slowly on the cream colored skin and waited for permission. Zero never took unless the donor agreed.

"Zero…" The murmur reached the god's ears and Zero frowned. He couldn't be sure what that meant until Kaname continued, "Zero… please… bite me."

The god gently laced fingers with the pureblood and bit down, slowly and carefully. Years of drinking Soshiki's blood had told him how he should bite; how much pressure he should apply; and how to produce the greatest amount of pleasure for his partner.

Zero sipped less than Kaname drank from him. Slowly, he withdrew, closing the wounds with a few swift licks.

Kaname nearly melted into Zero's grip. He had to curl his free arm around the ex-human's neck to remain standing. The pleasure was intense and mind blowing. He gripped Zero's shoulder when the ex-human let go. Kaname's mood was ruined due to the sound of quickly approaching footsteps and someone familiar to both of them burst through the doors.

"Kaname-sama! Are you okay? I smelled blood…" the boy trailed off as he saw the occupants in the room.

"Ah," Zero said recognizing the blond and the orange head that just burst in the door. It really had been a while since the ex-human saw them.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" The blonde said dramatically in surprise, pointing to the doctor, "KIRIYU ZERO!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" He exclaimed.

"He is a guest," Kaname said, not happy about being interrupted. Zero's hand was still laced with his, although Kaname had released his grip around Zero's neck, "What are you doing here, Aido, Kain?"

"We came here because father wanted us to run an errand and we just stopped by," Aido said in a rush, "But when we came here we smelled your blood and panicked."

"I see," Zero said, releasing Kaname's hand and moving back to his cup, "In that case will you join us for tea, chibi?"

"I'M NOT CHIBI!" Aido fumed. Zero was a little taller than the noble and Kaname was taller than both of them. Kain, who was about the same size as Zero, sat down and picked up two teacups, filled them with tea; one for himself and one for his idiotic, screaming cousin. He picked up a spare plate and put a daifuku for Aido and a manju for himself.

In minutes, the three were laughing like good friends. Kaname was sipping his tea, smiling at Zero. He wasn't included in the conversation so he didn't want to butt in. Aido and Kain were partially afraid to pull the pureblood in and partially out of respect. Zero, however, deliberately tugged Kaname in the conversation by mentioning what the pureblood did at the hospital.

"So while I was tending to other patients, Kuran decided it was a wonderful idea to look through my older case files," Zero said, munching on the rest of his dango, "At least he put everything back."

"You suggested it," Kaname said, defending himself and munched on the daifuku on his plate. It was very good. He made a mental note to ask for the recipe later. With a jolt, he realized that this sweet tasted familiar. He racked his brain to find an answer and remembered Zero's taste from yesterday.

_It was much sweeter than he thought…_

Kaname smiled suddenly, which caused all three of them to stare.

"Kuran, you okay?" Zero asked slapping the pureblood in the back. Kaname snapped out of his dream-like state and said, "Fine, Zero. I'm fine."

The ex-human looked disbelievingly at the pureblood, but didn't say anything. He picked up a dango stick and stuffed it into Kaname's mouth. "Eat. Sugar is good for you in the morning. It helps get your body going."

Aido and Kain both waited Kaname to hurt the ex-human for his rudeness. Acting that way in the hospital and acting that way in the pureblood's own _home_ were two different consequences. Aido flinched a bit and waited for the blow to fall on the ex-human.

Kaname pulled out the stick, munching on the dango. He swallowed and said, "Doctor's advice?" He was in a particularly good mood and he didn't really care how Zero acted in front of him. Zero was just being, well, _Zero_. If he wanted to act that way to the pureblood, Kaname wouldn't mind. It was a break from the powerful and revered pureblood act he had to maintain at all times.

"You could say that," Zero mumbled, taking another sip at the now-cooling tea. He plucked the dango stick out of Kaname's hand and took one of the balls, "Hm, this is good stuff."

"That's pretty bold for an ex-human," Kaname said, smirking, "Maybe I should punish you a little…"

Both Aido and Kain were recovering from the shock that Kaname _hadn't_ hit or punish Zero.

The vase next to the door exploded. All the high class vampires jerked in surprise. Zero looked up at Kaname and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I'll pay for that. But I don't like being referred to as an ex-human though. It makes me feel… degraded. I'm sure you understand, Kuran Kaname."

Kaname looked at the calm face of Zero. He understood, very clearly that in this world, Zero was probably the only ex-human who had a position higher than a pureblood. He flushed from embarrassment very lightly and said, "I apologize. It was not my objective to degrade you."

"I won't hold it against you," Zero said, "You are not the only one who has said that to me. And you certainly won't be the last. I ask you to remember."

"Of course," Kaname said, smiling, ignoring the disbelieving looks he got from his friends.

--

Ichiru was face down on top of Zero's paperwork. It was amazing how much he could complete in less than a day. He had already finished half the amount of work Zero had on his desk. The problem was that more papers kept on coming. Patients also kept coming and they resorted to sticking three patients in one room. Minrou still had his own room though. He was a pureblood after all.

Ichiru sat up yawning. Like Zero, Ichiru, was limited to what he could do in this body. Zero was more powerful in strength and powers, so he could last longer without sleeping. Ichiru yawned and sat up, stretching. Another five thousand more papers to go.

Ichiru did not doubt Zero's ability to track people or find information. Zero was one of the top gods and withheld a lot of information. Despite ruling Hell, Ichiru mostly got his information from Zero.

Being the devil, Ichiru could just tap into his powers, unlike Zero. Zero could only freely use his powers when he released the seal on his neck. Anyone could remove the seal, but if they did, they would have to face a seriously pissed off God and all of their familiars. Ichiru had servants too, but his servants didn't come unless called. Beings were naturally attracted to the God, while most beings avoided the devil.

The silver haired man stood up as Soshiki entered. Thankfully, the blue haired man didn't have any paperwork. The pureblood had just come in to report.

Soshiki pulled out his clipboard and started talking to the devil, "As of today, our wards are filled to the max. The flow of patients seemed to have stopped and the hospital is starting to discharge people that are healthy. Sixteen people have successfully had their organs replaced and nine more are waiting. We have just gotten a large supply of kidneys and livers and are currently running tests now. That's about all that's happening." The pureblood looked up to see Ichiru standing near the window, "Does this mean that the Soul Stealer is gone?"

"No," Ichiru said, looking outside, "He has merely seen the chaos he is causing and has stopped for the time being. He might act again, although it would be a foolish thing to do. Zero is probably looking for leads to find him. But it might take a while."

Ichiru turned to the pureblood, "Even a god cannot manage to search all the realms of the souls in a day. If we knew where he was, we could attack, but right now, I'm afraid that's impossible."

"I see," the pureblood said thoughtfully, "But what do you mean by 'all the realms'?"

"Heaven, Hell and Earth are three realms," Ichiru said, turning back to the window to look outside at the care-free world, "And there are countless other realms between Heaven and Hell. We can ensure that the Soul Stealer is not in Heaven or Hell though. We would be able to sense him if he was in either of our home territory. He knows this so he's probably hiding in a realm or on Earth."

"He shouldn't be that hard to pinpoint though," Ichiru smiled, "Diamond is the one going after him; he will be found very soon. Enjoy your freedom while you can, Soul Stealer."

--

Zero paused as his phone rang. The three high class vampires stopped as well as Zero picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Zero, how's the search going?"

"Ah, Ichiru! Everything is proceeding smoothly here," Zero said, his smiling face becoming serious in a blink of an eye, "How about at your end?"

"Everything is fine," Ichiru said, "I hope you're still searching for information."

"Are you underestimating me, Ichiru?" Zero smiled darkly, making everyone in the room shiver in fear, "I have narrowed down the places where he could be."

"Not underestimating, worried. I know you have a tendency to keep looking until you find an answer."

"I see," Zero said, "You needn't be worried. I'll settle this soon."

Zero clicked the phone off and turned to the pureblood and the two noble classes. "I have to get going. I thank you for this mug, Kuran." He picked it up and began to leave.

"Wait, Zero," Kaname said suddenly, standing up, "I have one last question before you leave."

"Yes?" the doctor asked, respectfully, "I will send a check to you for the vase."

Kaname waved that aside. "That's not it. I don't need any money for that old thing, just tell me the answer to this question and consider the expenses paid. Is this 'Ichiru' Dia?"

"No," Zero answered honestly, "Ichiru is not Dia." He turned and left, making sure to take the teacup with him. Both Aido and Kain left, too, leaving Kaname to ponder.

Zero may or may not have been telling the truth, but Kaname found it hard to believe that Zero had just lied to him. But that just led to more unanswered questions.

_What did Zero mean by, this will all be settled soon?_

_Was Zero looking for someone? Who?_

_Why did Zero make such a scary face when he was talking with 'Ichiru'?_

_Who was 'Ichiru'?_

_How did Zero know him?_

--

Koshima Ray sighed. Rizumu was still in control of his body so he was observing what was going on around. He recognized the surroundings as near Zero's house and saw a girl sitting, looking out at him. Their eyes met and his heart jumped.

Rizumu strode over to the door and knocked once before a car pulled in the driveway. The car door opened and Zero stepped out, feeling relaxed and calm. Rizumu walked over to the boy and said, "Took you long enough."

Zero looked up startled and his eyes narrowed. Rizumu had purposefully uncovered his aura so now it was clear as day that it was a God speaking.

"What is it, Rizumu?" Zero asked, raising an eyebrow at the god while locking his car. It was rare for god's to approach another god, unless they needed something, "And how long have you been in that body?"

"About two weeks, Dia," Rizumu said, looking at his host who was zoning out staring at the girl next door, in spirit form, "But I have a question. Why are you protecting the Vampire King?"

"Huh?" Zero asked, "Oh, call me Zero in this form. And it's because the Soul Stealer is back."

Rizumu hesitated, startled. He was not aware of this because he was always holed up in his house. "Since when?"

"About a month ago, he started taking souls," Zero said, "Probably to build an army, again." Zero's head suddenly snapped up, startled.

"What's wrong?" Rizumu asked, confused at the sudden action from the God of Luck.

"The Soul Stealer has entered Heaven."


	8. Rose Crystals

_**Rose Crystals**_

_A/N: I'm sorry that this came out so late. I've been busy though. Really busy! Collages and crap... It's probably a miracle that it came out at all. Don't worry, I haven't ditched it._

_Disclaimer: I don't own VK_

--

"Entered Heaven, but why?" Rizumu asked, alarmed, "What could the Soul Stealer want from Heaven?"

"I don't know," Zero said, picking out his keys and walking over to the door, unlocking it, "Can you leave your host's body, it's really starting to creep me out. I have not had good experiences with your host."

"No, I signed a contract," Rizumu said, looking at the ogled-eyed spirit of Koshima Ray, "I cannot go against it, for I am putting my title at stake."

"Then come in, Rizumu," Zero said, frowning, "you too Koshima-san." He almost had to force himself to say the last part. He opened the door and removed his shoes, and gesturing Rizumu to follow him.

He opened the front door and entered, watching as both Rizumu and Ray entered his house. He locked it behind him and took off his shoes, motioning Rizumu to do the same. Ray looked around. This was the first time he had been inside Zero's home.

It was quite plain. The floor was made of wood with doors that led to other rooms. All of them were shut.

"Come on," he said opening a door and walking upstairs. He arrived at his room and opened his door. He shut the door behind himself and sat down on his bed, motioning the other two to sit as well.

"Well, let's pay a little visit to Heaven, shall we?" Rizumu said, clapping Ray's hands together.

--

Ichiru worked hard. He was updating the forms on the computer of the patients in the hospital. It wasn't difficult, but it did take a long time. Even with Ichiru's Devil powers, he couldn't manage all this stuff.

His eyes never left the screen as the phone rang. Reaching over with his right hand, he kept his left on the keyboard typing, "Kiriyu Clinic, this is Kiriyu Zero speaking."

"_Zero?"_

Oh, Ichiru knew that voice. He had honestly hoped he would never hear it again. Geeze Kuran was such a stalker.

"What do you want Kuran?" Ichiru asked, pretending to sound drained and exhausted. If he were human, Ichiru honestly could say he would be drained and exhausted.

--

Kaname blinked. They were on first name bases before so why did Zero want to change that. The pureblood reasoned that Zero was now in a work environment and had to respect all callers. Plus he might not be alone.

--

"_I've been thinking about you since last night."_

Ichiru almost dropped the phone in shock. His hand was stiff on the keyboard, but he recovered fast enough so it didn't seem suspicious.

"And?" He prompted, somewhat awkwardly, pausing in his work and finding the pen on Zero's desk incredibly fun to fiddle with.

"_And I've come to the conclusion that I love you."_

Ichiru almost dropped the phone again. 'How bold,' he thought, frowning. This hadn't been the first time that Zero had received messages from high level vampires declaring their love, but the fact that it came from Kuran Kaname was a shock. Plus the first part of the… err…_ conversation_ worried him a bit.

"_Zero?"_

"I'm fine," Ichiru sighed, running a hand through his hair, "It was sudden so I just…" he trailed off awkwardly.

"_Zero, I told you this before. You shouldn't feel ashamed about yesterday. I think you have a nice body by the way."_

This time, Ichiru did drop the phone. His eyes were wide with surprise. _Way_ too much information than he needed. This was borderline creepy. Suddenly the conversation turned to Zero's sex life…

Ichiru seized the phone and said, "I'm not ashamed about yesterday, but I'm busy now. I'll call you back later." He slammed the phone down and turned back to the keyboard, but his heart was not in it at all. He continued typing and his mind drifted back to Zero.

Ichiru had taken Zero before too. When they were in Heaven, Ichiru had explored pleasure with Diamond. It wasn't uncommon at all. It was really boring in Heaven and not much better in Hell. Ah, but Diamond's body was defiantly one of a God's. Diamond was truly flawless and pure.

But to hear that _Kuran_ had taken _Zero_ or vise-versa was quite a shock. Zero would never let Kuran top him and Kuran would not either. Kuran was a pureblood so to let an ex-human top him in sex would be shameful. Of course, Zero was stubborn and prideful. He was a God after all, but Kuran didn't know that.

Ah, well… there was more than enough Diamond to share.

--

"Yo, Rizumu," the god of fate said leisurely, "Back already? AH!" The god's eyes widened as he saw someone he hadn't seen in quite a while, "DIA!"

"Good evening," Diamond said, flicking his long pearly white hair behind himself. He had a white gold hat and white gold outfit on. "Did you sense the Soul Stealer?"

"What me?" The god of fate seemed entranced by Dia's presence, "No… I didn't…" he trailed off, dreamily.

Rizumu stepped forward, "We sensed him at Earth; surely you could sense him in Heaven."

"You seem to forget," The god of fate huffed, looking peeved that Rizumu was blocking Diamond, "That he is in a separate dimension. All he would have to do is open a portal in Heaven, enter, do whatever the hell he wants to do and then leave again. The pressure in Heaven is really light so we may or may not have been able to sense him. Plus he is a soul with little magic."

"While that may be true," Diamond said, placing a finger on his smooth peach-colored cheek, while stepping out from behind Rizumu, "A God such as yourself would have at least sensed a flux in power when the Soul Stealer entered Heaven."

"Ah, I did," the god of fate was back into dreamy mode again. "It was in Rizumu's room, so I didn't think anything was wrong."

"Let's go," Diamond ordered, running to Rizumu's room and slamming open the door. Papers flew everywhere and then slowly settled. Dia walked in with Rizumu.

Rizumu noticed one thing, one most important thing to him that was missing—

"MY HARP IS GONE!!!!!"

--

About a week later Ichiru was baffled.

As the Devil he had seen many odd things but this one was the oddest of them all. Kross and Touga…

Covered in strawberry cake and apple pie storming into Zero's office.

How very odd.

"Where is Zero?" Touga seemed to be mad… Not a good sign.

"He's out," Ichiru blinked, fighting the urge to look amused. Honestly, why were they dragging around sweets and dropping them onto Zero's floor? How very rude of guests to do so.

"Where is HE?!" Touga roared, pissed. Kross looked mad too, which wasn't a good sign either. Another piece of strawberry cake plopped on the floor.

"I told you, he's out," Ichiru answered, "Why are you here? And why are you covered in cake and pie?"

"The person who served us at a café suddenly fell over, seemingly dead and we happened to be in the line of fire for the contents he was holding," Kross said sourly, "We know that Zero has something to do with it. After all, he's not here and you are. Therefore he must be doing something important."

"He is," Ichiru commented, fighting to stop himself from laughing, "I can't tell you where he is, but I can say that he'll settle everything soon." He watched some cake drip off the so-called 'Master Hunter' and suddenly burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

--

Zero watched as Rizumu paced back and forth repeatedly across his floor. "You're going to wear it down and make a hole," he commented, raising an eyebrow at the freaked out god, "Worrying isn't going to make it come back."

"When I get my hands on the little," Rizumu threatened, "I'm going to…" he made a violent gesture with his hands.

Zero sighed, "Then why are you here telling me? Go find him."

"I don't know where to look," Rizumu sighed resigned.

"Then help me," Zero said calmly. He had mountains of books he brought back to research a good dimension. The Soul Stealer would prefer a dimension with a view of Earth and a large capacity so he could store souls in. That only narrowed their search down to… six billion dimensions.

Rizumu reluctantly flopped down and picked up a book. He opened it and began to scan the contents.

Zero had records of all the different dimensions in his personal library in Heaven. He kept receiving books as gifts. He just stuck them inside his library and they naturally rearranged themselves in alphabetical order. It was quite useful being a god.

Zero threw the book he had in his hands away in frustration. Where ever the Soul Stealer was, Zero vowed to find him. After six thousand books, he still had no leads.

"Rizumu," Zero said suddenly, rubbing his head. The God of Music looked up, "Why is your harp so important to you?"

"Like you, my powers are vast," Rizumu sighed, "However, I store my powers in that harp instead of using a seal." He had never seen Dia lose his temper so fast. It could have something to do with the fact that he is human right now.

"Oh, great," Zero sighed irritably, "Now in addition to having tons of souls, he had some powers of a God." He picked up another book and flipped through it.

"Won't it be easier to track him?" Rizumu reasoned, "We gods can sense other gods when they use their powers."

"Three problems with that. One: He's not a god. Two: He has _your_ harp. Therefore _you_ might be penalized if he uses your powers. Three: Contrary to popular belief, the Earth is fragile. It might collapse if he uses too much, too fast," Zero said, listing them off on his fingers, "Where is your host?" Zero certainly didn't spot Ray anywhere.

"Gawking at the girl next door," Rizumu sighed, "You have a good point there. We'll have to get my harp back first."

"If we can ever find him!!" Zero grunted, throwing the book in his hands at the wall, which cracked under pressure and the impact of the book.

--

Ichiru was finally able to gather himself together after the hunters left. However…

The room was covered in cake and pie.

He sighed and focused a little burst of power into his right index finger. Black ribbons shot forth and cleaned everything up. As the King of Hell, most of his powers were of the destructive kind, but Dia had taught him some healing and fixing moves. Just as he finished the door burst open again.

"Zero, are you okay?!"

Ichiru mentally groaned. Out of all people, why Kuran Kaname?

Kaname ran up and shook Ichiru really hard, speaking rapidly at the same time.

"Are you bruised? Did you get into any sort of trouble with Yagari?! I saw him leaving! He looked mad! I hope it wasn't you who made him mad!" He began to check Ichiru's body for injury and Ichiru lost it. He jumped and pushed Kuran away from him at the same time.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" he roared, "I am completely fine. Touga was my teacher when I was younger. The Kiriyu family was made up of great vampire hunters after all." He redid his collar and fixed his tie, smoothing out all the wrinkles, "Why are you here?"

Kaname sensed something different from Zero today than he did usually. Zero's presence was missing.

"Why today," he paused for a second, wondering how he should word this. He had originally thought he was going to be nervous or agitated about asking Zero out but he was unexpectedly calm. What was weird was that he felt no emotional attachment to today's Zero.

"I was thinking that we should go out on a date sometime," Kaname sighed, awaiting Zero's answer.

Ichiru felt a smile spread across his face.

--

Zero's head snapped up as his phone rang._ Ichiru?! At a time like this?! Was there something wrong?_

"What's up?" Rizumu asked, watching panic flicker across Zero's face. The God of Music stood and dropped the book in his hands as Dia paled and fumbled with his phone. "DIA!"

"I'm fine," Zero shook his head, "Just a little…" he trailed off.

"Hello?"

"_Zero," Ichiru's voice sounded grave and Zero feared the worst. "I'm sorry…"_

"Ichiru?! What's wrong?!"

"_You're going on a date with Kuran on tonight, eight o' clock at the clock tower," Ichiru said before hanging up._

Zero removed the phone on his ear and gave it a look of confusion, followed by fury and irritation. "ICHIRU!!!!"

--

So here he was, dressed up at eight o' clock.

Pissed as hell, but hey, he was here under the clock tower wasn't he? Zero looked at his watch and found that Kaname was three minutes late. Grunting in uncertain irritation, he attempted to find out why he felt nervous and agitated.

He closed his eyes and wondered how Kuran would react if he knew that he was a god. Probably gasp in awe as his true form was shown.

Opening his eyes, he watched Kuran step out of a limo. Kuran was dressed nicely for the occasion, with his black suit. Zero was in a pure white suit. They were opposites.

"You're late," Zero frowned as he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

"I apologize, I was caught up in my work," Kuran said smiling and loving the silky smooth hair brushing against the pale neck. Zero frowned when he realized where Kaname was looking.

"I am not your dinner," Zero hissed irritably, "And I don't appreciate being looked as if I was."

"Again, I apologize," Kaname said tearing his gaze away from Zero's neck. Oh, how he longed to taste the fresh blood of the ex-human again.

"You called this a date," Zero sighed changing the subject, "So where are we going?"

"I have reserved seats in a restaurant," Kaname smiled, "I hope you will like it." He held his hand out for Zero to take, but Zero refused. Kaname dropped his hand reluctantly after a while and gestured for them to go.

Zero walked behind Kaname, feeling nervous and giddy at the same time. Unknown to Zero, Kaname was feeling the same way.

Kaname suddenly was blown into doubt. He felt as if he could've done a thousand things differently. What if Zero didn't like it? What if he screwed up? What if Zero was unhappy about the way he had asked? What if Zero was only here because he wanted to be polite? What if Zero was only using him? What if…

Zero sensed Kaname's uncertainty and suddenly felt irritated.

"Look, I'm not here because I want to be," Zero said suddenly and Kaname felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"I'm here because…" Zero suddenly felt unsure, "Because I wanted to see you again," he mumbled out the last part. Kaname, gifted with hearing, heard it and smiled, his worst fears suddenly thrown out the window.

"Me too," Kaname smiled, "But I saw you this afternoon."

"I know… but…" Zero trailed off, thinking he sounded pathetic.

In a flash, Kuran was standing and leaning on top of Zero. Zero, shifted slightly, not startled by the speed, but by the proximity.

"But.. What?" Kaname whispered seductively. In public… The god's brain seemed to catch up with his body. _They were in public!!!!_

He shoved the pureblood away from him in shock. "Nothing," he said hurriedly, "We should go… Aren't you supposed to be taking me out on a date?" He flushed a little at the word 'date' and cursed the squirming in his stomach.

Kaname obediently backed away, wondering if Zero was avoiding the topic because he was uncomfortable or because he didn't feel that way. "Come," Kaname said, grasping the silver-haired one's hand, "We will eat. I have made a reservation" He tried to avoid thinking, as his mind wandered back to the topic of Zero and his beautiful body.

"What?" Zero eyed the pureblood who was giving him a stare. He caught Kaname's eyes and looked away. The brunette wasn't fast enough to hide the lust and want in his eyes and Zero caught a full view of it. Something about that gaze shot a spike of heat through his body. How was it possible that he was getting aroused?

Kaname sensed Zero's increased arousal rate and his spiked in return. Oh god, his man could do wonders with his body with just a look. He had to restrain himself from just pushing the doctor to the nearest wall and screwing their brains out right there. He might not have been able to screw their brains out on the nearest wall, but he could sure do something else on that wall.

Kaname dragged the doctor to the nearest alleyway, pushing the sputtering boy up against the wall.

"You violent pureblood! You could have taken off my arm! Geeze, do you have to be so--" Zero started, but never finished. Kaname pressed his lips on the god's and Zero gave a muffled moan in return. Pleased at the reaction, Kaname continued downward, leaving marks on the pale skin of Zero's neck. Zero tried to hold in his gasps and moans, but was unsuccessful as Kaname reached his collarbone.

"Kaname! No—Ahhhh," Zero complained, throwing his head back as Kaname found the area of his collarbone that was sensitive to touch, "S-Stop! I—Ahhhh…"

Kaname rather enjoyed the moans that Zero let out. He pulled the panting boy to his limo and ordered the driver to drive back to the nearest hotel. The driver did so and Kaname continued nipping and sucking on the hard bone.

Zero struggled to muffle his moans but found it impossible. He couldn't resist this man.

Kaname dragged them both into the hotel and got a room fairly quickly. The clerk was human so he recognized both Zero and Kaname, but didn't say anything. Perhaps they wanted somewhere private to discuss business.

As soon as the door was closed, Kaname jumped on Zero, licking and sucking. He tore open the doctor's shirt and pants impatiently and Zero gave a moan of frustration and pleasure. In retaliation, Zero tore open Kaname's shirt and planted soft kisses on the pureblood's chest and shoulder. Kaname moaned and got rid of his pants as well.

Kaname didn't stop and unexpectedly bit down on Zero's neck. Zero gasped in surprise and shoved the pureblood away.

"You… bit me…" Zero said slowly cupping a hand to the wound. His eyes were wide in surprise; his mind unable to wrap around the thought of Kuran biting him. The stinging pain on his neck and the blood on his hand and on Kuran's mouth proved otherwise though.

Kaname blinked, his mind clearing of thought. "I apologize," he said slowly, feeling he had done too many times in one night, "but I thought--"

"I thought I made it quite clear I wasn't _food_ Kuran," Zero sneered, now ticked off, "You thought what? You thought that as an _ex-human_ I would be _happy_ yo let a pureblood drink?!" he accused sourly, "You thought it was your _right_ to bite me?! Or maybe you thought I wouldn't mind and maybe even beg for more?!"

"NO!" Kaname looked like he'd just been slapped, "Never! I thought that you would--"

Zero rolled his eyes and moved to the door. Kaname stood in front of his way and embraced him tightly.

"Let go, Kuran," Zero hissed, angrily, "If you don't; I swear I'll kill you."

"I'm sorry," Kaname repeated, rubbing his face into Zero's soft hair, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"Let go," Zero repeated.

"I wanted to taste your blood again," Kaname ignored Zero's warning, his face slightly remorseful, "Ever since the first time, I fantasized about it. The taste, the texture, the way it slowly flows down my mouth, the…"

Kaname suddenly froze, giving Zero the chance to push away. Something had occurred to him that he had not realized before. His mind had developed a smell for Zero's blood ever since he had tasted it but now that he took a good sniff; Zero's blood had no smell.

Kaname backed away, his mind trying to process the impossible. All humans and vampires had blood that smelled like _something_. But Zero did not. What did that mean? Did it mean that Zero wasn't human or a vampire? Or was it because of some hunter charm that Yagari placed on the boy to avoid vampires in thinking his blood smelled good? Yes, that had to be it.

Logically, it made sense, but his heart said differently. His conscious whispered for him to think back to the time when he had first drank Zero's blood.

He honestly couldn't remember if he could smell Zero's blood. He certainly remembered the taste, but not the smell. He tired to avoid the whispers of his mind that said '_why wouldn't you remember? Unless he didn't have a smell…_'

Zero's head snapped up, slightly worried about the pureblood. Why had Kaname stopped? He didn't seem like the type to give up.

"You're blood…" Kaname said slowly, shattering the silence and fearing the worst "Doesn't have a smell…"

Zero looked away. _Oh…_ Soshiki had pointed it out to him several times but he always gave an excuse that he used a charm. It wasn't true of course; as a god, his blood had no scent to avoid attention, but at the same time, it would mean that it was obvious he wasn't human or a vampire.

"It's a hunter charm," Zero said shortly, "I grew up in a hunter's family so…"

"No," Kaname whispered. That couldn't be right. Hunter charms that masked blood were very hard to do. Even if he had managed to do it correctly, the effects only lasted for ten minutes. He had defiantly been with the boy for more than ten minutes.

"I've read about hunter charms, the effects don't last long if it has anything to do with blood," Kaname countered, "Are you even human?"

"Don't be stupid," Zero retorted, "Of course I am."

"You're lying," Kaname said shortly.

"… It's a long story," Zero said softly, "I'm not going to tell you it now."

"Zero…" Kaname started, "Tell me."

"I don't take orders from you!"

"It's not an order; it's a request."

"…"

"Zero…"

"I don't think we should see each other anymore," Zero said, "Go back to your rich life, Kaname; leave me to my work." The ex-human turned away from Kaname and looked outside lifting the curtain slightly. Kaname slid an arm around Zero's arms and hugged him from behind, pressing his arousal to Zero's behind. Blushing, the god gave a small moan when Kaname grinded himself against him.

"Let me take you again," Kaname whispered, leading Zero to the bed and pressing him face-down on it, "Zero… I've thought of nothing else for the past week."

Zero sighed and buried his face in the covers, hating how his body was trembling for this man to claim him. He hated how his body would respond to every trick and touch Kaname placed. Most of all, he hated how his heart pained at the thought of not being able to see the pureblood again; how he was so distracted this past week due to the thought of this pureblood; and even more so; how he ached and fantasized Kaname taking him again.

Kaname moaned and watched Zero's lavender eyes turn silver with thought. He slowly slipped a finger into Zero's body, watching and waiting for any sign of pain.

Zero winced, but relaxed. His body had already craved and prepared itself for the intrusion.

"Kaname… just do it," Zero's voice was pained with lust and need. He couldn't wait for Kaname to finish preparing him. Not after so long…

Kaname complied, savoring the moan and tightening of Zero's muscles. Too long… it had been way too long since he had done this. Zero threw is head back, moaning in pleasure, at the feeling of Kaname entering him.

Zero gripped the sheets hard as Kaname rode him, slowly at first, then picking up more speed. He couldn't take it. With a cry of deep bliss muffled in the sheets, Zero released even before Kaname had even touched his prostrate.

Kaname's eyes glazed in satisfaction and he began to slip in faster, wanting and needing to see Zero's face when he touched the special place. When Zero gave a sharp wail and Kaname knew he had found it. Pressing in harder and at the same angle, Kaname picked up his pace, relishing the way Zero screamed and squirmed under him.

"No… No… Kaname I can't!!" Zero chanted softly, feeling the pleasure build up again. He gripped the sheets in front of himself hard and screamed again, not really caring whether someone heard them or not. His body felt like it was overloading with pleasure, snaking around his body fast and hard as his muscles trembled with anticipation of a second release. Kaname nuzzled his hair as he gave another wail, releasing again onto the sheets.

Kaname gripped the god's sides, pressing his thumbs on Zero's back as he moved harder, feeling himself come to the edge. Two releases from Zero were more than enough to stimulate him. With a grunt, he came inside the boy.

Knowing that Zero was still aroused; Kaname flipped him over, immediately covering Zero's arousal with his mouth, sucking and nipping hard. Zero thrashed around, trying to muffle his wails of pleasure, but failing as Kaname ripped a third release from his body.

Kaname wasn't satisfied. He needed; wanted; had to have more of Zero. He drank the boy's seed down and continued to stimulate the silver haired male until Zero was fully aroused again. He continued to suck hard, until a fourth release was established and Zero was panting and horse from his cries of pleasure.

That wasn't enough. It never seemed to be enough. Kaname slipped in a finger and searched for Zero's prostrate, finding it swiftly and pressing on it almost cruelly. Zero gave a groan and a scream as Kaname took him in his mouth once more. Gripping Kaname shoulders hard, he thrashed trying to push the insatiable pureblood off him. This was too much for him…

Kaname didn't move and sucked until he could feel Zero near another climax. He released the boy's arousal and wrapped his free hand around it, moving up and down swiftly while still pressing against Zero's prostrate. He leaned up to Zero's ear and said, "Sorry…"

Zero nodded, trying to maintain his sanity. It was becoming increasingly harder to as his body shook for his fifth climax. Especially when Kaname sucked on the wound he had made on Zero's neck before.

Zero screamed, feeling his throat burn in discomfort. He panted as Kaname leaned down to lap up his seed from his stomach and the pureblood's own hand. For some reason, seeing the pureblood do that was arousing.

Zero flipped Kaname over onto the mattress and swiftly covered Kaname's arousal with his mouth as he had seen the pureblood do to him. He skillfully moved up and down, swirling his tongue over and over the tip and base of Kaname's arousal. He felt Kaname turn to mush under his moves and continued swiftly, wanting to pleasure the man who had been on his mind for the past week.

Kaname blinked in surprise and shock as Zero topped him. His thoughts flew out the window as Zero's mouth swallowed him though. He tried his best not to buck and make the ex-human choke, but Zero was skilled. Unlike Zero; in which Kaname had to hold his hips down to prevent him from moving; Kaname completely succumbed to the doctor. Zero didn't even have to hold Kaname's hips; Kaname had already felt as if his whole body had turned to pudding and was unable to move an inch.

Moving swiftly over Kaname arousal, Zero gave the pureblood an experiment prod. Kaname stiffened and relaxed as the digit slid in. Bleary, he wondered how Zero's fingers could slide so smoothly into his body. Maybe it was because they were meant to be together.

Zero swiped some blood off his neck and slid another finger inside Kaname's body, searching for the prostrate. Still suckling on his treat Zero almost gagged as Kaname threw his hips up in pleasure when Zero probed a spot.

Kaname gasped loudly as Zero gave his body another deep stroke with his fingers and in unison stroke his arousal with his tongue powerfully. Zero, it seemed, was quickly learning the pleasure spots of his body.

Tasting the first drops of Kaname's seed, Zero sucked harder, raking his teeth lightly over the tip of Kaname's arousal. Kaname did scream this time, releasing hard as Zero have his prostrate another firm press. Zero sucked all of Kaname's seed off and then released him, panting hard, but satisfied.

Kaname groaned in displeasure as Zero stopped. That had been amazing.

Grabbing Zero's hands, Kaname directed them to his already hard arousal. Zero blushed lightly, but moved his hands up and down. Kaname grunted in pleasure, bucking his hips wildly into Zero's hands. Gaining a little more confidence, Zero moved faster and harder, squeezing and fumbling with the tip.

Both males grunted as Kaname released again.

Zero placed his head on the torn up pillow, sighing in satisfaction, warm and contented. Kaname lay beside him, bringing Zero's hands to his mouth and licking his own seed off the ex-human's hands. Zero blushed at the suggestive feeling of Kaname's tongue going between his fingers.

"Zero…" Kaname moaned softly, "I love you… so much."

Zero blushed, but chose not to respond. Kaname took a look at Zero's face, wondering if the boy had fallen asleep. He spotted the blush and smiled.

"Zero…" Kaname mumbled wrapping an arm around the god's form, "you can have my blood if you want."

Zero shook his head, "You shouldn't be handing out your blood."

"Only for you," Kaname whispered, "You are the first and last I will allow drink my blood."

Zero blushed harder and suddenly sat up. He placed his head in his hands wondering why he had submitted to this man yet again. He couldn't understand it! What about this pureblood made him so vulnerable?!

Kaname sat up and wondered if he had hurt Zero in any way. What happened? Why was Zero looking so down?

A stray tear drifted from under Zero's hands down to his cheek.

--

_Read and review as always! _


	9. When Worse Comes to Worse

**When Worst Comes to Worst**

**--**

_A/N: Long time no see! Lots of things going on!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own much. Not Zero, not Kaname, not Ichiru. If I did, I would be rich. _

**-- **

Gold eyes flickered book to book. Zero sighed and dropped another useless book into the large pile on the floor. In his god form, he was more adapting to this kind of work. But staying too long in god form made his human/vampire body weary.

Rizumu yawned and said, "Okay, maybe we should stop for--"

"No."

Zero's reply was firm and clear. He hated being in the dark, and even more so, hated not doing anything when there was a problem. Rizumu blinked and said, "Have you not realized the limitations of your human body?!"

"I don't care," Zero sighed, his eyes turning back to silvery-grey and his long pearly white hair vanishing.

Rizumu sighed. Ever since Dia came back from whatever the hell he was doing twelve hours ago, he had been persistently working. It wasn't healthy or wise to be up this long for any human.

Zero nearly screamed in frustration as a certain pureblood vampire's face flickered into his mind. It was getting hard to concentrate. And Kuran Kaname wasn't helping! Curse that arrogant, narcissistic, beautiful, charming, sex deprived bastard. He paused in his train of thought and gave a mental groan of frustration. He couldn't even think properly anymore!!! His attention snapped back to the book, his mind fighting to process the words without much luck.

Standing up, Rizumu frowned at Zero, "Dia, I'm going to take a breath of fresh air. I'll be right back."

Zero scowled and the minute Rizumu was out the front door, he threw the book out the window. Listening to the Nothing again. The god felt his patience running thin. How the hell was he supposed to do this?!

He could have just traveled through all the dimensions, but that would take too long and the world would probably have exploded by then. He couldn't screw up time on Earth anymore. He could freeze time in the entire earth, but spirits and souls wouldn't be affected. Needless to say, that was a death trap and telling the Soul Stealer 'Here! All for you! Take them all at once!'.

Zero rubbed his head with one hand, using his powers to summon the book back and fix the window. He placed the book down and flopped back onto his bed. Maybe, Rizumu was right; he did need rest in this body.

Zero closed his eyes and found himself drifting off.

--

Kaname's train of thought was broken by the silver haired vampire as well.

He was at a board meeting—excuse him—BORED meeting. And daydreaming about Zero seemed to get his mind off whatever the hell they were talking about. He gave a brief glance while trying to seem interested; a talent that worked wonders in these kinds of places. He could daydream about Zero all he wanted and as long as no one looked directly into his eyes, they wouldn't realize he wasn't paying the slightest bit attention.

He remembered and half wondered why Zero refused to drink his blood. The pureblood had drunk the doctor's blood several times, yet Zero refused to drink his. Why?

And there was also the issue of Zero's blood with no smell. And the mysterious presence of Zero that vanished sometimes when he was with the silver haired doctor. He didn't quite understand, but he was okay with that. If Zero had a secret, he wanted to know, but only if the doctor trusted him enough to tell him.

Takuma nudged Kaname once under the table and Kaname snapped back to the board meeting just in time to hear the, "We will discuss this issue later. For now, we should work on a location where Kuran-sama can give his final speech. This will be the first time that humans have a vampire president so we choose a place that is known to both vampires and humans."

Before Kaname had realized what he had said he blurted out:

"In front of the Kiriyu Clinic."

--

Zero shifted on his bed, unsettling several books but not waking. He murmured softly in his sleep, sweat running gently down his cheek.

_-Zero's Dream-_

"_No… stop!" Zero groaned softly into Kaname's hair. Kaname didn't letup, instead applying more pressure on his nipple. Zero gave a moan of pleasure, twisting around in Kaname's grip, trying to escape. Kaname tightened his grip and Zero hissed._

_Kaname chuckled, his eyes glittering in an aroused state. Zero held his breath, marveling at the mahogany eyes that were staring at him. He was pressed against a wall that he recognized as Kaname's room._

"_Why do you hide it from me?" Kaname asked softly. The brunette's head lowered onto his neck and Zero let his breath out, saying in a little more than a whisper, "I don't want you to judge me for what I am."_

_Kaname smiled and said, "I am a pureblood. But you don't judge me for what I am. Why would I?"_

"_You wouldn't understand."_

"_I don't understand. Unless you tell me," Kaname said moving his hand towards the bandage at Zero's neck, "This has something to do with it, right?"_

_Zero placed his hand on the bandage, "Yes. It does."_

"_Can I take it off?" Kaname asked._

_Zero didn't reply at first. He hesitated, but lowered his hand, "Okay."_

_Kaname gently scratched a side of the bandage with his nails and pulled it slowly off, so not to hurt Zero. The god felt a rush of familiar power, almost making him dizzy. Kaname hesitated, looking around in attempt to sense the amount of power he was feeling. His pureblood instincts were to completely submit to the power, but the brunette couldn't say why._

_Zero felt his hair length increase and his eyes turned a shade of glittering gold. Kaname suddenly backed away, stunned. Zero's eyes flashed with hurt. He knew that Kaname would be surprised but that rejection hurt. More than any kind of physical damage he had ever acquired in his life as a god._

_Kaname backed himself into a chair. This person… gold eyes, pearly white hair… was Zero? He had an aura, not like a vampire, nor like a human. Who was he? Was he even Zero anymore?_

_Suddenly, he caught the god's eyes and froze. It was, undoubtedly, Zero. That look on the face of this man, did not belong there. The eye color might have been different, but the look, the emotion, was defiantly Zero. Kaname rushed forward to grab a hold of the white gold robe that the man was wearing and tugged the man into a powerful embrace. He paused as he realized that this man wasn't wearing what Zero had been wearing._

_Diamond flinched and looked surprised. He relaxed in the pureblood's grip and…_

Zero jerked out of his sleep, stunned and crying.

He rolled over on his side and whispered, "It would be wonderful if he just accepted me like that… wonderful…" He sighed heavily and sat up, knowing that couldn't possibly happen. The more resemblance he could see between the two of them.

Both were loved and revered, if not for power then for their bodies. Both chose to use the power they had to better the world. This might be a slightly narcissistic thing to say, but both were good looking as hell. …Did he just call Kaname Kuran good-looking?

No wonder they were attracted to each other.

The god stood up, brushing his bangs out of his eyes… And froze.

--

Kaname sat down, happy. The aristocrats argued with each other but ultimately were unable to refuse such a direct order from a pureblood. He was having his speech in front of the Kiriyu Clinic and no one would say otherwise. He didn't care it was inconvenient, or it might bother Zero. As long as he would be able to see him again, he didn't care.

Kaname felt giddy and almost dizzy with pleasure. He wanted to see Zero again, as soon as possible.

Sure, the pureblood did have questions for the doctor. Why didn't his blood have a smell? Why did Zero cry last time? Did the man even want to see him anymore?

More important of all: Did the doctor feel for Kaname the same way Kaname felt for him?

--

Several days had passed. Zero had not gotten a wink of sleep and was searching throughout different dimensions. As a god, he didn't need to. But as soon as he had returned to his human body in his house…

Rizumu sighed, brushing Zero's hair out of his closed eyes. The man was so tired. No one could blame him though. In human form, he couldn't stay awake after not sleeping for so long.

"Sleep well, Diamond…" the God of Music whispered before vanishing.

--

Kaname sighed as he made the millionth call to Zero's cell. The doctor did not pick up. It didn't ring as a surprise, but it made Kaname irritated.

But, he could always find Zero's house couldn't he…?

--

"Hee, hee," a little boy laughed. "Even the higher up ones are easy! Man, this is great!"

The Soul Stealer knew of the God's plan. However, that did not hinder him one bit. It would take ages to find one dimension out of a thousand trillion.

Placing the red butterfly into a glass crystal case, he smiled. This had been the soul of one of Kuran Kaname's advisors. He couldn't get to the pureblood since there were two gods as well as a devil protecting it, but he could get one of the pureblood's henchmen.

And now it was his.

This though sent a thread of sick pleasure through the soul's materialistic body as he strung the harp in his lap.

--

Kaname jerked out of his daze as he received a call. It was from Takuma.

Three seconds later, he dropped the phone in shock. Seiren had been found unconscious and unable to wake.

With newfound determination, Kaname slammed the phone down and searched for Zero's house. Since Zero was famous, it wasn't all that hard to locate.

--

"Erm…"

Zero blinked at the pacing pureblood. There had to be a good reason for this.

If there wasn't, the pureblood would be facing the wraith of heaven and hell.

The doctor twisted the ropes behind his back, trying to remove them without hurting himself too badly. It was proving to be a difficult task though; Kuran had tied them tightly. Zero sighed heavily and glanced behind him.

The metal sitting on his neck was quite uncomfortable. A collar ran from the ceiling in the form of a chain to the collar on his neck. He was tempted to break the damn thing, but not without knowing what in the world was going on first. He never made the first move and when he did, it was because someone really pissed him off.

Zero glared at the man that had taken him a couple days before. He was kneeling on the floor; a position he wasn't all that comfortable in.

Meanwhile, the pureblood was torn between delight and apprehensiveness. Kaname hoped Zero knew something about his advisor's condition. He had kidnapped Zero from his room and chained him up in a wild frenzy, but he was starting to have second doubts if it was the right thing to do. Zero had woken, obviously exhausted while Kaname chained him to the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," Kaname said suddenly. He knew that Zero must be mad at him right now, but felt the need to apologize.

"You can be sorry after I beat the hell out of you. Until then, less chit-chat, more explaining," Zero said calmly, even though the look on his face betrayed his voice.

The pureblood crossed behind him and released Zero's hands from the rope. Zero sighed in relief, bringing his hands in front of his face to inspect them. Other than being deprived for blood for a while, they looked okay.

His eyes caught a small glimmer of metal and the doctor brought his wrist higher. _The pureblood actually chained his wrists to the back of the collar?! What the hell?!_

"If I find out that this is one of your kinky sex plans, I'm going to kill you," Zero snapped, irritated, placing both hands on the floor to shift his aching legs. His bangs fell in his face and he glared at the brunette.

"Would you like something to drink?" The pureblood asked suddenly. Zero looked taken aback at the question.

"You chained me up and you're asking me what I want to drink?! What a bad host…" Zero mumbled the clinking of the chains audible after he had moved. Inwardly, he winced.

"I want some answers," Kaname said seriously, peering into the light lilac eyes of the ex-hunter, "I wanted to make sure you wouldn't run away."

"…I expected as much."

The reply confirmed Kaname's suspicions. Zero knew something about what was going on.

"But there are some things in which I cannot now answer," Zero continued, "Will you acknowledge that?"

Kaname nodded and sat next to Zero. The man was chained next to Kaname's bed, but the pureblood didn't want to make it seem like he was forcing answers out of Zero… which he was actually doing.

"So, what do you want to know?" Zero asked, running a hand though his hair, making the chains clink against each other, "Or how much do you know?"

Shifting on the floor Kaname asked his first question.

"Why doesn't your blood have a smell?"

Zero sighed and shook his head.

"That is one I cannot answer right now."

Kaname nodded and asked his next one, "Why are people collapsing?" He honestly did not expect Zero to be able to answer that one. Zero surprised him with another shake of the head.

"I cannot answer that one either."

So… Zero knew. Perhaps that talk with 'Ichiru' was relating to stopping these incidents from happening.

Zero blinked. Kaname was fast approaching the truth. It wasn't a bad thing, but…

"Did you miss me?"

That question threw Zero off completely. The ex-hunter blinked gazing into Kaname's eyes for any sign of mockery. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat as he realized Kaname was serious. The silver haired man hung his head, his bangs covering his eyes, but not the blush spreading through his cheeks like a burning chain.

"Yeah… I did," he answered quietly. _This was embarrassing…_

"Do you know how delicious you look in chains?"

Zero's head snapped up and the blush spread through his whole body. He caught the predatory look in Kaname's eyes when he said that and had no doubt what that suggested.

His suspicions were confirmed when the door shut itself and he was hoisted onto the silk bed.

--

Zero winced.

He didn't try to move just yet. His backside was burning. The pureblood had taken him from behind, hard and fast. Pleading with the pureblood would do nothing.

It had finally been over when Kaname had released into his body several times. The pureblood had collapsed, dead to the world.

Kaname was too preoccupied to realize something about his lover though…

Zero had not received any pleasure in return.

The god controlled his body well, feeling the pain mix through his body, forcing himself to rid his body of any pleasurable feeling. Zero didn't deserve the pleasure of the pureblood. Not this time. The god had hurt Kaname badly emotionally as well as socially. If he had finished this business with the Soul Stealer sooner, Kaname would not be suffering this right now. The pureblood had not realized, only because the god had pressed his face into the pillows of the bed, muffling any noises of discomfort.

Even so, it wasn't because of Kaname's lack of effort. Zero suspected this was the reaction which Kaname developed over the course of not seeing him for several days. It was okay; Zero didn't mind too much. He was half used to people reacting like that when they hadn't seen him for so long.

Gods controlled it well, but Soshiki had freaked last time he had vanished and refused to contact him for three weeks. Truth was, at that time, Zero was actually restoring his powers. In any case, when he got back, Soshiki had completely blown up at him, freaking out so badly, he had completely destroyed Zero's house. After Soshiki had calmed down, Zero explained that he had something important that had turned up and he didn't want Soshiki to be tied in it.

For someone that blew up his house, Soshiki had surprisingly understood. He was sure Kaname wouldn't though, so he kept quiet about his pain.

Zero was still in the chains, but that was easy to fix. With one swift flick of his hand, the chains unlocked themselves from Zero's body. Kaname had shredded his clothes.

Another wave of his hand cleaned himself off of Kaname's seed and provided his body with clothes. Zero stood up, his healing had quickly mended everything. He usually suppressed his healing, but when he was alone, he would allow it to run its course. Super fast healing was too unnatural for a supposed 'ex-human'.

Zero shot the pureblood's body a rueful look. By the time Kaname woke up, he would be gone. He really hated to leave the pureblood way, but there was no choice. The god had things to do and a battle to fight. Of course, losing was unthinkable.

The room was basked with a soft white light and Zero vanished.

--

"I can't do it…"

Kaname groaned into his hands. It was three minutes before his speech and he was second doubting himself. But after waking up to an empty bed, he felt miserable. And it showed in everything he did.

His iron control was slipping through his fingers. There was no way he could do this without Zero's help. Zero, whether or not the boy knew it, supported him and helped him. Kaname was a fool to ever think that he could ever do this alone.

Only the thought of 'maybe he'd see Zero at the hospital' kept him determined to read the speech. As he approached the podium, his heart stopped.

Zero was looking at him, right at the front row.

--

Ichiru had come, only because Zero had asked him to. The patients were waiting for their souls back and Zero was the only one to be able to retrieve them. They had trapped the Soul Stealer at the top of the building and were going to fight.

Since the Soul Stealer had Rizumu's weapon, it wasn't going to be easy. But Ichiru believed in his brother's powers. After all, Zero could purify souls.

--

Zero dodged as the Soul Stealer sent a wave of musical power at him. He was observing the way his enemy moved.

However, since Zero had moved, a cabinet of glass bottled medicine smashed onto the floor. The doctor winced, allowing his body to transform back into his 'god' form. Pearly white hair and gold eyes distracted the Soul Stealer for just a second, but that was all Rizumu needed to seize his harp from the grasp of the soul.

--

"Ladies and--" Kaname looked up at the quite loud smash that resound through the normally silent hospital, "Zero, what's going on?"

Scrabbling for an excuse, Ichiru blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. By nature, it came out sounding calm and rehearsed, "Maintenance." He gave an absentminded shrug, "They're quite loud, aren't they?"

Kaname blinked, but continued his speech.

--

The Soul Stealer had used his power to push Dia away. He misjudged the distance and Diamond was able to catch himself before he fell. Golden white ribbons flew through the air in the brutal struggle for power. Mentally, Diamond knew that the Soul Stealer couldn't last long.

Rizumu's cry of shock jerked Dia out of his concentration. Snatching hold of the advantage, the Soul Stealer shoved Diamond.

Diamond found himself free-falling.

Right on top of the speech ceremony that Kuran Kaname was giving in front of his hospital.

--

Kaname heard the smash of a window breaking, but paid it no mind. He kept reading.

Until someone landed, pearly white hair was flowing and white gold robe billowing, in front of his stand. Kaname was about to say something until 'Zero' stood up.

"DIA?!"

--

'_Oh… Shit!'_

Diamond twitched as he realized what Ichiru had done. He was known as the best singer alive, but the presence flowing from him was neither vampiric nor human.

The crowd was silent for three full seconds before bursting into a loud mixture of cheers and screams. Dia raised one hand up and the crowd fell silent.

"Ichiru, when this whole business is over, you are so dead," the god snarled slowly. Then he jumped up and into the window in which he fell from.

'Zero' now known as Ichiru, smirked, "Fine by me, Dia."

--

The crowd gave a collective gasp as Diamond jumped and vanished back into one of the top windows. Since there were humans around, they couldn't believe it.

Ichiru swept around and sent a wave of power through the crowd, making them all fall asleep at the same time as well as removing the memory of Diamond. Then he turned to Kaname.

"As you probably know, I am not Zero," he said curtly. Kaname was silent and he suddenly smirked.

"I had expected as much."

"Then you should be wondering where Zero is right now."

--

"Are you feeling pity for him?"

Rizumu questioned Dia, but the god remained silent.

"I always thought he wasn't a bad person to begin with. He was just… ungrateful."

"What are you going to do with him?"

Diamond smiled and said, "I want him to find true love." He threw the tortured soul into the air and used his power to purify it. The 'Soul Stealer' would remember what he had done, but not hold a grudge.

It was better this way.

Diamond turned to the dimension the 'Soul Stealer' was in. Looking at the countless bottles, he smiled.

Expanding his powers once again, Dia purified all of them, removing all the memories of having meeting the 'Soul Stealer'. He blessed them with a good and happy life.

Thousands of white and red butterflies fluttered, finally able to escape from their prison. They flew together and then vanished as they traveled back to the human world.

It was over.

--

_A/N: Read and review as always!_


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